Rajon Rondo replacing Kidd as the new triple-double king?

Over the course of his career Jason Kidd has been a stat machine. His 107 triple-doubles ranks him third all-time behind Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson which puts him in some pretty lofty company to say the least. But with Jason Kidd now at the very tail end of his career, Boston Celtics’ point guard Rajon Rondo may be starting to cement himself as the league’s new triple-double king.

During his 18-year career, Jason Kidd has registered four or more triple-doubles in 13 different seasons but father time has caught up to Mr. Triple-Double who hasn’t had more than three in a season since registering 13 triple-doubles during the 2008-2009 campaign.

And most people believed that Kidd’s heir apparent would be LeBron James whose size, speed and passing ability make him a threat to post a triple-double every time he steps on the court. James has averaged nearly 26 points, seven boards and seven assists during his nine year career but only has 32 triple-doubles to show for it.

Twenty-eight of those came while he was playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers which seems kind of low when you consider all of the numbers he puts up from game to game. Teaming with a fellow stat-stuffer like Dwyane Wade has decreased his chances of ever catching up with Kidd though.

Rondo on the other hand only has 12 career regular season triple-doubles and five of those have come this season. He’s averaged a double-double in points and assists over the past three years and he is also one of the league’s better rebounding point guards.

Like Kidd, Rondo is more of a facilitator than a scorer and his assists have risen every year he has been in the league. Look for his other numbers to rise over the next couple of years as his teammates Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen ease into retirement.

We are already seeing Kidd-like performances from Rondo though, especially in big games. He has posted five triple-doubles in the playoffs and three of his triple-doubles this season have come against the New York Knicks, the Chicago Bulls and most recently against the Miami Heat.

So it’s not like Rondo is posting these numbers against scrubs, he brings out his A-game when playing against the best. Now just imagine what would happen if he channeled his inner-Kidd every night.

Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Blogger for The Sport Mentalist and an NBA Blogger for The Sport Mentalist 2. He is also a Sports Reporter for Pro Sports Lives. He can be contacted at RHall_TPFB@Yahoo.com and be sure to follow him on Twitter @sportmentalist.

 

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