Rajon Rondo Reveals How He Outcoached Brad Stevens During The 2017 NBA Playoffs

• Rajon Rondo is one of the craftiest players in the history of the NBA with an innate quality to outmatch his opponents' thinking

• Rondo wanted to outbeat Brad Stevens during the 2017 NBA playoffs

• The Bulls went 2-0 with him in the side but crashed to a 4-2 loss after he was ruled out due to a thumb injury

Rajon Rondo's coaching skills rose to the fore during the 2017 NBA playoffs against his former team the Boston Celtics.

Speaking on JJ Redick's 'Old Man And Three' podcast, the two-time NBA champion revealed how he was planning to outmaneuver Brad Stevens, the then-Celtics coach.

"So with me, when I'm playing the game, I'm not necessarily playing against the players. A great example was when I was going against the Celtics when I played for the Bulls."

"My whole mindset, that entire series was to beat Brad Stevens. Quick story, I know I am jumping around, but I think it was Game 1. It was like a shootaround in the ballroom. We stayed in the hotel, we were at the Four Seasons, and I asked Jimmy [Butler] and D-Wade to stay back. And I was working on fourth-quarter execution plays."

He further added:

"I was working on execution plans that Brad hadn't seen us play yet. So, when we did run those plays, they weren't able to make those counters or adjustments. I think i maybe watched four or five of his games to his fourth-quarter plays where they were calling sets for Isiah, Horford in that particular series to get ahead of the curve."

"My mindset is thinking, 'How can I beat the coach? How can I outcoach the coach?' Because I feel like I have the power when I am involved in the game. I have more of an influence and an impact that I can make versus a coach yelling from the sidelines."

This is surely interesting from Rondo, who was playing chess when everyone played checkers.

Rondo signed a two-year, $28 million contract with the Bulls in 2016 and that season, the team made the playoffs. They led 2-0 in the first round against the Celtics, but Rondo suffered a broken thumb in game 2, causing him to be ruled out indefinitely.

As a result, the season went south for the Bulls without their playmaker and they crashed out of the first round with a 4-2 defeat to Boston. In his one season with the side, before he was waived, he averaged 7.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 6.7 assists.

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Rajon Rondo Coaching An NBA Team In The Future Is A Definite Possibility

Rajon Rondo's immense game awareness, basketball IQ, and relentless work ethic make him an ideal candidate to coach an NBA team in the near future.

And the floor manager admitted as much during a 2013 interview. Per the Bleacher Report:

"I have a long way to go. And obviously, I want to play for another 10 or 11 years. But it is something that’s in the back of my mind. And it starts now. I think the process is starting now."

"I watched Doc [Rivers] for seven years. I watched how he handled certain players, how he handled certain situations, how you handle a four-game losing streak, how you handle a 10-game winning streak."

Quite recently, Rondo and LeBron James, who played together for the Lakers were seen coaching young players during the 2023 Peach Jam earlier this year. 

At 37, the future looks unclear for the seasoned veteran who spent the past season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. If he does indeed decide to trade his jersey in for a suit, he will still be a force from the sidelines as a coach.

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