The last team to secure back-to-back NBA championships was the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018. Given Boston’s impressive start, Rondo believes the Celtics could replicate the Warriors’ feat—and even “change the game.”

“Right now they are changing the game,” Rondo said. “At least five guys are going to shoot 10 threes a game, think about it. I’m talking about [Jaylen] Brown, [Jayson] Tatum, [Derrick] White, [Payton] Pritchard, [Sam] Hauser, and then the big fella ain’t even shot, ain’t back yet [Kristaps] Porziņģis. The way they play unselfishly.”

Rondo also highlighted the Celtics’ depth and chemistry, noting how players coming off the bench contribute seamlessly. “But you also have the makeup and the character in the locker room to allow guys like a Pritchard to go for 28, you know what I mean, and not be jealous,” Rondo added.

Bucks HC claims Pritchard is perfect for Celtics

Following the Celtics’ win over the Milwaukee Bucks, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers praised Celtics guard Payton Pritchard, who recorded 28 points, five rebounds, and three assists while shooting 8-for-12 from three-point range.

“[Pritchard is] just tough,” Rivers said via Celtics reporter Justin Turpin. “He’s that little pest that gets under everybody’s skin and he keeps coming. [He’s] gritty, smart, but [also] talented. He shoots the hell out of the ball and has a knack for stripping guys on rebounds. He’s perfect for that team.”

Celtics’ impressive stats

The Celtics are one of the most formidable teams in the NBA this season, averaging a league-best 125.5 points per game. They also lead the league in both three-pointers made (19.7) and attempted (50.0) per game, reflecting Rondo’s point about their high-volume shooting from beyond the arc.

Even though they were both seemingly in the backend of their primes, Rondo and Wade gave the team a big veteran boost. Nonetheless, they still fell in the first round of the playoffs.

Looking back, Rondo believes Wade’s and Butler’s attitude was the main reason why they couldn’t beat the Boston Celtics, as they ostracized themselves from the rest of the team.

Rondo Blames Butler And Wade For Bulls’ Shortcomings

“Chemistry, it wasn’t there. Like I mentioned earlier, Jimmy and D-Wade, they kind of were on their own. As far as I guess even in practice, even off the court,” Rondo said on the Old Man And The Three.

“Like again, every team is different, there’s nothing wrong with that,” he continued. “But there wasn’t really a connect between the old guys and the young. And that was why it was so much friction throughout the year.“

Bulls’ young players seemed to agree, and it didn’t take long before the pair of stars left the Windy City. That’s not the kind of veteran leadership one would expect from players of their caliber, and they simply didn’t stand a chance to get past that.

Despite what many people think, most of the NBA Championship-contender teams have at least two or three players that help building up chemistry inside the locker room to improve it inside the basketball court. That’s why a team who was close to clinch at least the Conference finals, might need one of the players in this list.

In fact, at least one of the players among this list have already played a rotation role to mantain a certain level, which at the end helps to clinch an NBA Championship or at least a Conference Finals spot. Check out the full list below.

NBA Champs still available in the 2022 NBA Free Agency

This list includes a two-time and four-time NBA Championship winners. But there are Free Agents likeUdonis Haslem who is still available, but he will most likely retire before he finds an option that fits his needs in terms of money and minutes of play.

1. Rajon Rondo

The two-time NBA Champion Rajon Rondo has bounced between several NBA teams since he won his second ring with the Los Angeles Lakers. Although he might be a good player, due to his age a new project might be looking for a younger player. Therefore, the NBA market doesn’t have many options for Rondo yet.

2.Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard wasn’t the player expected for the Los Angeles Lakers last season. Despite he won the NBA Championship with the LA franchise in 2020, the Lakers’ front office are looking for financial wiggle room to acquire better players for the upcoming season.

3.Tristan Thompson

The 2016 NBA Champion bounced between the Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers and the Chicago Bulls last season. Therefore, 31-year-old player has to keep looking to stay in the NBA as the options aren’t many for him.

4.Andre Iguodala

Despite many rumors have placed the 4-time NBA Champion Andre Iguodala out of the basketball courts, the 38-year-old player might still have a last chance to stay in the NBA. He could be the missing experienced piece for a Championship-contender locker room.

5.Jordan Nwora

The youngest of this short list, Jordan Nwora was crowned as NBA Champion in his rookie year with the Milwaukee Bucks. Despite the 23-year-old player gained more minutes of play during the last season, he couldn’t managed to get a new deal with the 2021 NBA Champions. However, he still may return to them as he is a restricted free agent.

Reaching All-Star status isn’t for everybody. Managing to do it for several years is even harder. So, when the legs start feeling a little heavier and it takes longer to recover, a player’s minutes can drastically go down.

That’s why some of the best players of the past decade barely set foot on the hardwood last season. With that in mind, let’s take a look at three former All-Stars who may retire before the start of the next campaign.

NBA Rumors: 3 Former All-Stars Who May Retire Right Now

3. Rajon Rondo

Rajon Rondo is one of the smartest players of all-time. He broke down plays in real-time on both ends of the floor and was elite at putting his teammates in a position to succeed. But he can no longer stay healthy and is a non-shooter.

Rondo has drawn interest as a potential member of a coaching staff. He’d be a great assistant coach as a respected veteran, even despite his tough locker room presence. That’s the route he’s likely to walk in the next couple of months.

2. Paul Millsap

Not so long ago, Paul Millsap was considered the best power forward in the Eastern Conference. He could play solid defense below the rim and on the perimeter and scored from all three levels.

But Millsap became an afterthought for both the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers last season. He could no longer hold his own in defense and his offensive rhythm was also way off after barely getting touches.

1. Andre Iguodala

Andre Iguodala could barely contribute to the Golden State Warriorstitle run. He’s one of the oldest players in the league and has struggled with multiple soft-tissue injuries over the past couple of seasons.

Once a two-way menace, Iguodala can no longer keep up with quicker players on the perimeter. He’s not much of an offensive factor right now, either. He’s likely getting a job in Steve Kerr’s staff once he decides to walk away.

However, while LeBron James and company are struggling to get things going, the Cavs have suffered a huge blow recently with theseason-endinginjury of Ricky Rubio, who suffered a torn ACL in his left knee.

According to ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Cavaliers have moved fast to replace the veteran playmaker and a trade for Rajon Rondo could be completedbefore the weekend.

NBA Trade Rumors: Cavalierscould trade for Lakers’ Rajon Rondo

“The sides are working out terms on a deal, but the Cavaliers need to create a roster spot to make room for Rondo,” Woj wrote.“The Cavaliers could include a minimum-contract player in the deal with Los Angeles, or waive a player and complete the trade using a second-round pick or cash. The Cavaliers also have a trade exception that can absorb Rondo’s $2.6 million salary.

“The Lakers don’t have to take back matching salary in the deal because Rondo is on a minimum contract, and could take back a non-guaranteed deal that they could waive,” he continued. “The trade is expected to open up a roster spot for the Lakers.”

However, the Cavs will have to wait for Rondo to be cleared fromthe NBAhealth and safety protocolshe entered on Sunday. The 35-year-old’s level this season hasn’t been close to that of Rubio, but with the Spaniard out for the remainder of the season, the Cavsseem to be optimistic on what the four-time NBA All-Starcould bring to Cleveland.

Rondo was a floor general and played a big factor in the Lakers’ championship run a couple of years ago. That’s why they didn’t hesitate to bring him back after completing his buyout with the Grizzlies.

Nonetheless, there were some concerns about adding Rondo to a locker room that already featured Russell Westbrook, another hardnosed competitor with whom he had a couple of riftsin the past.

Rajon Rondo Says He Has No Beef With Russell Westbrook

Luckily for the Lakers and the fans, it seems like that’s all water under the bridge now. Rondo said he’s looking forward to teaming up with him and put the past in the past for the sake of the team:

“Carmelo,” Rondo said, when asked who he’s excited to play with in Los Angeles. “Obviously, Russ, Trev(Ariza). I look forward to talking to Trev, learning his mind, his focus … We’ve had a lot of great battles with a lot of these guys that’s now teammates. I’m looking forward to putting everything in the past and putting it together for the greater good of the team and winning a championship here.”

Rondo and Westbrook starred in a bit of an altercation last season, with the latter being ejected for shoving Rondo on a rebound after he called him ‘Trash’. Clearly, they’re both competitors and players say a lot of things in the heat of the moment. Now, they’ll have to work together for a common goal.

Then again, when it comes to the purple and gold, you know that they’re always trying to get even better. The Western Conference is a bloodbath and they want to end up on top and make it back to the NBA Finals.

That’s why, even after adding multiple newcomers, the Lakers are targeting two more veteran players to try and take some pressure off LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the aforementioned Russell Westbrook.

NBA Rumors: Lakers Targeting Rajon Rondo, DeAndre Jordan If They’re Bought Out

According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelbourne, the Lakers would love to bring Rajon Rondo back if he’s bought out by the Memphis Grizzlies. He’s not expected to be on their roster by the start of the season, so there’s a strong chance we see him again in Los Angeles.

Moreover, the Lakers would also be interested in signing veteran big man DeAndre Jordan if the Brooklyn Nets feel like they have no use for him anymore. And even though he made it to the Nets by Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving’s recommendation, this is still a business.

Needless to say, adding two players far beyond their prime won’t exactly silence the Lakers’ doubters. They believe that this team is just too old to stay healthy throughout the season and thrive in the playoffs.

Then again, we’re talking about players with deep playoff experience, and that always comes in handy. It’s still too early to tell, but we wouldn’t want to put our money against this Lakers team, even if they don’t add any of those two players to their roster.

The Clippers have already added a lot of top-tier personnel to Lue’s coaching staff and are believed to be ready to make a lot of trades in the offseason to make the most of Kawhi Leonard and – maybe – Paul George’s strengths.

And, according to multiple reports, one of their top priorities for the upcoming campaign is adding another playmaker, meaning that they’ll be eyeing multiple candidates in free agency. However, it seems like they’ve already set their eyes on one of their biggest rivals: Rajon Rondo, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times.

Los Angeles Clippers Want To Steal Rajon Rondo From The Los Angeles Lakers

Rajon Rondo is coming off an impressive season with the Los Angeles Lakers. He came up huge in the playoffs, especially in the clutch, and is the kind of hardnosed veteran they need to get over the hump when things get difficult.

Rondo is no longer the top-tier point guard he once was during his days with the Boston Celtics but he’s still a plus defender and a great playmaker. Moreover, his leadership and playoff expertise could come pretty handily for them.

He’s expected to enter free agency and is reportedly interested in coming back to the Lakers but, after winning a couple of rings, perhaps he’ll choosethe team that offers the most money as he heads towards the end of his career.

The Clippers struggled with a stagnant offense from time to time, as Patrick Beverley isn’t a pass-first kind of guard, Reggie Jackson barely played, and Lou Williams is a scoring specialist, so adding Rondo would definitely do wonders for them.

The Lakers were down one point with the clock expiring and Davis, who’s not the most prolific three-point shooter in the league, stepped up to the perimeter andknocked down the biggest shot of his career so far.

The Nuggets had climbed back from a big deficit like the resilient team they are and were on the verge of evening the Western Conference Finals at one game apiece until The Brow took over with that beautiful shot.

And, even though Anthony Davis should get all the credit for that shot, he recently revealed that it was Rajon Rondo the one who motivated him with a simple message in the huddle before handing him out the assist.

Anthony Davis reveals Rajon Rondo’s challenge that led to his game-winning shot

“That’s all right, he scored on you. Now you go get it back,” Rondo told Davis after Nikola Jokic scored over him with hook shoot with 20.8 seconds left in the clock. Needless to say, Davis lived up to that challenge.

That’s why it’s so important to have veteran leaders in the locker room. Rondo knows what it takes to go the distance and win an NBA Championship and his experience has come pretty handily in the playoffs.

Now, Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers are up 2-0 in the series and just a step away from making it to the NBA Finals but hey, the Nuggets have come back in every series they’ve been this year, so it’s not the time to relax at all.

Rondo hadn’t been able to play since the restart of the season. He was out at first with a fractured thumb and later hurt his back. With the Lakers in control of the series vs. the Portland Trail Blazers, there was just no need to rush him back.

Thing is, even when healthy, Rondo has been far from helpful for Frank Vogel’s team. He’s a non-factor in the defensive end right now, he’s lost his first step, and his poor shooting creates even more of a spacing nightmare for the Lakers.

Anthony Davis made a case for him after his terrible performance vs. the Rockets(-10 in 24 mins)claiming that he still needs more time to get his legs under him but it seems like he’s just not a good fit or should even be in the NBA anymore:

“He’s trying to make plays for others, be in attack mode. So it gives Bron, it gives him a break with Rondo on the floor, let Bron kind of be that guy who can catch it and work on attacking. And Rondo’s able to get into the paint and make plays in response, so it’s beneficial to us to have him on the floor. But it’s just getting him back, acclimated to the team, and get his conditioning back to where it is,” Davis said.

NBA Twitter Destroys Rajon Rondo In His Return With The Lakers

NBA fans on social media weren’t as understanding as Davis. In fact, Rajon Rondo quickly becamea Trending Topic on Twitter for his poor performance last night, with people just begging Frank Vogel to not play him anymore.

The Lakers are now 0-1 despite being heavily favored to win this series but it’s still way too early to panic. They also dropped the first game to the Blazers before winning 4 in a row. But with Rondo playing that way, it may be an uphill battle.