Rajon Rondo has an NBA championship ring and Dwight Howard has a trip to the NBA Finals on his resume. But the two extraordinarily talented NBA stars are generally regarded as having squandered at least some of their potential. (That’s easy for couch potatoes to say, anyway.) Yet both men are just 31 years old, around the age when Hall of Fame legend Hakeem Olajuwon began winning his NBA titles. They’re hardly finished. And Rondo and Howard are both starting over again, having worn plenty of uniforms.
Howard will play the 2017-18 NBA season for Michael Jordan‘s Charlotte Hornets, bolting from Atlanta after a so-so season. Rondo comes to the New Orleans Pelicans for the 2017-18 NBA season from Chicago (where he got hurt), after a stint in Sacramento where he played well — far better than he played in Dallas, where he was ushered out fast. But Rondo’s story can turn as fast as he can, which is All-Star guard fast. Probably the best natural rebounding guard in the league, Rondo can help a team in myriad ways. And that’s exactly how many ways the playoff-missing Pelicans need help. Michael Jordan reportedly told Howard to stop playing angry and play “determined” instead. It’s advice both players can use. Howard and Rondo are two NBA players to watch this season: either could be a Top Ten guy in the league or an also-ran. This year will tell the story. Of course, Rondo also has a future as a coach:
Video: Inside @RajonRondo‘s experiences in the NBPA’s coaching program, instructing the best HS basketball players at the Top 100 camp pic.twitter.com/KotgALWUAQ
— Top 100 Camp (@Top100Camp) June 16, 2017
