When discussing the greatest playmakers in NBA history, Russell Westbrook is bound to enter the conversation. The former MVP remains fifth on the league's all-time assists list with 10,351 career assists and has led the NBA in assists three times during his 18-year career.
However, Kendrick Perkins had a different experience playing alongside another elite playmaker. Although Rajon Rondo might not receive the same recognition as Westbrook when comparing their overall legacies, Perkins believes the former Boston Celtics guard had a better ability and tendency to make his teammates better.
According to Big Perk, playing alongside Rondo meant the Celtics players always had to be ready for the ball; whether they were running the floor in transition or finding open space, they knew Rondo would look for them and put them in the best possible situation to score.
Between the 2007-08 and 2011-12 seasons, the Celtics reached two NBA Finals and made another Eastern Conference Finals appearance. With Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen leading the roster, Boston had no shortage of star power and scorers. However, Rodnos's willingness to prioritize playmaking over his individual scoring was an important part of the team's success.
Rather than focusing on how many points he could score, Rondo often looked to create for those around him, and Perkins experienced that approach firsthand and explained that playmakers like Rondo not only keep their entire team alert but also have a selfless approach that is rare to find.
"This is no swipe at Russ; I'm just telling ya'll, the same transition of what I went through when I went to Boston. You knew your hands needed to be ready. You ran the floor; nine times out of 10, if you were open, you were going to get the ball when playing with a guy like Rondo," Perkins said. "But when I got to Oklahoma City, it was a young Russell Westbrook, who wasn't looking to drop dimes but looking to establish himself as a scoring guard."
Perk's experience in Boston offers some context for his argument. During the 2008-09 season, he averaged 8.5 points per game while Rondo recorded 8.2 assists per game, with no other player even averaging half as many assists as he did, which shows how dependent the entire team, including Perkins, was on him and his ability to orchestrate their offense.
The following season, Perkins reached a career-high 10.1 points per game as Rondo averaged 9.8 assists. Those numbers show Perkins reached his scoring peak when sharing the court with Rondo. On the other hand, his experience in Oklahoma City was different.
During his time with the Thunder, Perkins never averaged even 7.5 points per game in a single campaign. A big reason for that was that Westbrook was in the process of becoming one of the league's best scoring guards.
From the 2011-12 through 2014-15 seasons, Westbrook averaged more than 21 points per game in each season. Moreover, his scoring reached another level in 2014-15, when he led the league in scoring with 28.1 points per game.
The difference reflected their respective roles: Rondo was primarily tasked with orchestrating Boston's offense, while Westbrook was increasingly expected to create his own offense and carry a heavy scoring burden for OKC.
Safe to say, Rondo and Westbrook were both exceptional playmakers; their careers demonstrated that there is more than one way to influence an offense. Rondo made his presence felt through his passing, court vision and ability to control the tempo, whereas Russ combined his playmaking with explosive athleticism and an aggressive scoring mentality.
Interestingly, as Westbrook's career progressed, he too showed his ability to help his teammates succeed. For example, he helped Paul George adjust to his move to the Thunder and averaged 21.9 points per game in the 2017-18 season.
Then, Russ helped Bradley Beal average 31.1 points per game in the 2020-21 season.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Oct 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
