Rajon Rondo has finally been getting the recognition he deserves in the past year, but this guy’s numbers just keep getting better.  He was a talented rookie filled with potential, who averaged only 6.4 points, 3.8 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.6 steals.  That was only a glimpse of the player Rondo would become.  He has improved his numbers every year, and is now averaging 13.5 points, 9.6 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.6 steals.  What is probably most impressive is Rondo’s field goal percentage, which improved from 41% his rookie year, to 53% this year.  Rondo still needs to his outside shot and his free throw shooting, as he is not much of threat beyond 20 feet and is hitting only 11% of his threes and 60% of his free throws.  Rondo’s athleticism counters that though, and his alleyoop finish to win the game last night against Miami with 0.6 seconds was nothing short of amazing.  There is probably only one other point guard in my mind that could come close to finishing that play, and that would be the Chicago Bulls’ guard Derrick Rose.  Those two had a great battle in last year’s playoffs, and it will be a great rivalry to watch for years to come.

Ray Allen has one of the sweetest jump shots in the history of the game and is one of the best three points shooters ever, but he has been struggling lately from behind the arc.  Allen, who is a career 40% three point shooter, has not been himself lately and is one of the reasons the Celtics have lost two straight games and are 5-3 this month.  Allen is only shooting 32% from three this season and has been particularly bad this month.  In eight games this November, Allen is only 7-29 on threes which is a pathetic 24%.  Allen has only scored over 20 points once in that time span and has looked out of rhythm.  Allen is one of the best shooters of all-time though, so I don’t expect this shooting slump to last very long.  He does need to get himself out this funk soon and help Paul Pierce with the perimeter scoring.

Paul Pierce has been leading the Celtics for years, and this year is no different.  With Kevin Garnett still not back to his old self yet, Pierce has been doing what it takes to keep the Celtics on top of the Eastern Conference.  The Celtics are off to a 5-0 start and Pierce is the main reason why.  He is averaging 21.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.5 assists.  It looks like the Pierce and the Celtics are determined to get another NBA Title.

There were whispers over the off-season that the Celtics were trying to move 23-year old point guard Rajon Rondo but they came to their senses and kept him. Rondo is the guy that makes the Celtics go on both ends of the basketball court as he is a elite defender. He played in 80 games for the Celtics last season and he averaged 33.0 minutes, 11.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.9 steals per game. If he weren’t such a team player he could easily average over 15 points a game. 31-year old Eddie House will back up Rondo but he’s not a perfect fit a point guard as he loves to shoot the rock. House played in 81 games for the Celtics last season and he averaged 8.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. This might sound funny but the one player the Celtics could not replace is Rajon Rondo.

PREDICTED POSITIONAL GRADE FOR THE 2009-2010 SEASON: B+