NBA (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Three point guards donning No. 4 on their jersey for the first time this NBA season have all had incredible years for their respective teams.
Battling through adversity in one way or another, these three have all found new life since joining their new teams. Redemption stories in the NBA are always something that garners the attention of fans, and justifiably so. With that being said, let us look at three guards that have turned heads this season with the No. 4.
Rajon Rondo has flipped the switch since being traded to the LA Clippers at the NBA Trade Deadline
It seemed like Rajon Rondo and the LA Clippers were meant for each other from the start.
The Clippers desperately needed a playmaking point guard following their collapse in the playoffs last season, and Rondo has proven to be one of the best in the business. Set to hit free agency after winning the NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers, it seemed certain that the other LA team would make a strong push for Rondo.
He ultimately decided to sign a two-year deal with the Atlanta Hawks, which soon turned into a disastrous fit for both sides. In 27 games with the franchise, Rondo averaged just 3.9 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game, struggling to find any rhythm with the team. While being sidelined for a string of games with various injuries certainly played into that, it was clear that the guard needed a fresh start elsewhere.
The Clippers provided him with just that as they traded for him right before the NBA Trade Deadline in March in a package centered around Lou Williams and draft capital. Trading away one of their rotational pieces and draft picks for a regressing Rondo was considered a head-scratching move for many, but the fit has been seamless to this point.
With his typical No. 9 taken by Serge Ibaka, Rondo made the switch to No. 4 and has upped his production in virtually every statistical category since joining the Clippers by averaging 7.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 5.3 assists throughout his 13 games. While those numbers do not jump off the page, Rondo’s impact has certainly been a massive factor in the recent success of this surging LA team.
Although regular-season success helps, the true test for Rondo and the Clippers will come in the postseason. Playing a key role in the Lakers’ title win last season, the four-time All-Star lived up to his “Playoff Rondo” moniker, and the Clippers are undoubtedly banking on the hope that he can conjure up some of that same brilliance for them.
The Clippers will head into the postseason with redemption in mind following the embarrassing conclusion to last season, and Rondo could be the piece that propels them to the mountain top.
NBA season have all had incredible years for their respective teams.</p>
<p>Battling through adversity in one way or another, these three have all found new life since joining their new teams. Redemption stories in the NBA are always something that garners the attention of fans, and justifiably so. With that being said, let us look at three guards that have turned heads this season with the No. 4.</p>
<h2>Rajon Rondo has flipped the switch since being traded to the LA Clippers at the NBA Trade Deadline</h2>
<p>It seemed like Rajon Rondo and the LA Clippers were meant for each other from the start.</p>
<p>The Clippers desperately needed a playmaking point guard following their collapse in the playoffs last season, and Rondo has proven to be one of the best in the business. Set to hit free agency after winning the NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers, it seemed certain that the other LA team would make a strong push for Rondo.</p>
<p>He ultimately decided to sign a two-year deal with the Atlanta Hawks, which soon turned into a disastrous fit for both sides. In 27 games with the franchise, Rondo averaged just 3.9 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game, struggling to find any rhythm with the team. While being sidelined for a string of games with various injuries certainly played into that, it was clear that the guard needed a fresh start elsewhere.</p>
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<p>The Clippers provided him with just that as they traded for him right before the NBA Trade Deadline in March in a package centered around Lou Williams and draft capital. Trading away one of their rotational pieces and draft picks for a regressing Rondo was considered a head-scratching move for many, but the fit has been seamless to this point.</p>
<p>With his typical No. 9 taken by Serge Ibaka, Rondo made the switch to No. 4 and has upped his production in virtually every statistical category since joining the Clippers by averaging 7.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 5.3 assists throughout his 13 games. While those numbers do not jump off the page, Rondo’s impact has certainly been a massive factor in the recent success of this surging LA team.</p>
<p>Although regular-season success helps, the true test for Rondo and the Clippers will come in the postseason. Playing a key role in the Lakers’ title win last season, the four-time All-Star lived up to his “Playoff Rondo” moniker, and the Clippers are undoubtedly banking on the hope that he can conjure up some of that same brilliance for them.</p>
<p>The Clippers will head into the postseason with redemption in mind following the embarrassing conclusion to last season, and Rondo could be the piece that propels them to the mountain top.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">NBA (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Derrick Rose has given the New York Knicks a massive boost in their push for the NBA Playoffs</h2>
<p>Monday marked 10 years having passed since<a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/05/nba-special-year-point-guards-4/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/rosede01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow"> Derrick Rose</a> became the youngest MVP in NBA history at just 22-years-old. Since then, a once surefire Hall of Fame career has grown plagued with injuries year after year, almost causing Rose to abruptly retire during the 2017-18 season.</p>
<p>However, just when it seemed like he would be out of the league for good, Rose’s former head coach Tom Thibodeau, then coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, brought him aboard. The sturdy relationship between the two dates back to their days with the Chicago Bulls at the height of Rose’s career, where Thibodeau also earned Coach of the Year honors.</p>
<p>Rose rejuvenated his career after reuniting with Thibodeau on the Wolves, getting himself back on the right track. Following another productive season in Minnesota, Rose signed a deal with the Detroit Pistons, where he was shrouded in trade speculation for what seemed like his entire tenure there. More so this season, as it seemed inevitable that he would be moved as the team bought out Blake Griffin and shifted towards a full-blown youth movement.</p>
<p>That made it no surprise when the Tom Thibodeau coached New York Knicks traded for Rose before the deadline. Rose wore No. 25 during his first stint with the Knicks in 2016, but with that number occupied by Reggie Bullock, the guard switched over to No. 4. When asked about why he chose that number, the former MVP <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/05/nba-special-year-point-guards-4/"https://nypost.com/2021/02/11/why-knicks-derrick-rose-switched-to-the-no-4/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gave a compelling answer.</a> Transcribed by the New York Post’s Pete Botte:</p>
<blockquote><p>“Four, my birthday is on the fourth [of October]. Me and my closest guys, my friends, there’s four of us. My mom had four kids, my daughter’s birthday is on the fourth,” Rose said this week. “If you look in the Bible, on the fourth day, I don’t want to get into all of that, but if you look at the fourth day, it was all about creation.”</p></blockquote>
<p>Given New York’s abundance of bodies in the backcourt, his fit seemed abnormal at first glance, but reuniting with Rose yet again was clearly a move that Thibodeau was lobbying for the team to make. After 29 games with the club, it is clear to see that those concerns have faded away significantly as the guard has been a great fit off the bench by averaging 14.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game.</p>
<p>Furthermore, the Knicks have returned to relevancy this season as it appears they will make the playoffs for the first time since 2013 as the team has recently clinched their first winning season in eight years. Barring a massive collapse, it will be Rose’s first trip to the postseason since 2018, his reunion season with Thibodeau in Minnesota.</p>
<p>The connection between these two seemingly goes far beyond basketball, and seeing them thrive with the Knicks has been quite the spectacle. The Knicks are now 21-8 since acquiring Rose, and this could be just the beginning.</p>
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<h2>Russell Westbrook has been sensational in his first NBA season with the Washington Wizards</h2>
<p>Battling through the aftermath of a positive COVID-19 test and a nagging quad injury,<a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/05/nba-special-year-point-guards-4/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/westbru01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow"> Russell Westbrook’s</a> playoff run with the Houston Rockets last season was understandably far from his best work. When word came out that Westbrook wanted out of Houston after his lone season there, one anonymous Eastern Conference general manager went as far as to say that<a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/05/nba-special-year-point-guards-4/"https://hoopshabit.com/2020/09/15/houston-rockets-russell-westbrook-trade/"> the former MVP’s trade value might be “nonexistent.”</a></p>
<p>Still, the franchise managed to trade the guard to the Washington Wizards in exchange for John Wall and a future draft pick. Whether or not Westbrook would retain his iconic No. 0 was a hot topic of discussion heading into the season. Gilbert Arenas, who donned the number on his jersey for the better part of eight seasons with the Wizards, gave the guard his blessing, but Westbrook decided to throw it back to his high school days and rock the No. 4 with his new team.</p>
<p>In an interview with Air Jordan in 2017, <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/05/nba-special-year-point-guards-4/"https://air.jordan.com/card/numerology-russell-westbrook/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Westbrook opened up about the number that has always resonated well with him:</a></p>
<blockquote><p>“My favorite number has always been four, because that’s the number of people in my family – my little brother, my mom and my dad. Obviously my family has expanded beyond four now…</p>
<p>My family is always with me for every milestone. Even if they aren’t there physically, I talk to them before and after each game and I know they are watching and with me in spirit. There is not one person in my family that pushed me more than another, they all push me and they all have had an impact on me.”</p></blockquote>
<p>After many believed his best days were far behind him, the 32-year-old has silenced his critics as he is having another fantastic season by averaging 21.8 points, 11.3 rebounds, and an astounding 11.2 assists per game. Following his otherworldly stat line of 14 points, 21 rebounds, and 24 assists in Washington’s victory Monday, Westbrook will now officially average a triple-double for an entire season for the fourth time in his career, which is certainly something to behold.</p>
<p>The guard currently sits at 178 triple-doubles for his career, just three off of the all-time leader in Oscar Robertson with 181. With seven regular season games left to play, it seems inevitable that Westbrook will surpass that historic mark before the season ends.</p>
<p>After it seemed like the Wizards were destined to miss the playoffs early on, they have come roaring back and currently sit at 10th in the Eastern Conference with a 30-35 record. Winning 13 of their last 16 games, Washington occupies that final play-in spot, and they could be a team that no one wants to face due to the deadly tandem Westbrook and All-Star teammate Bradley Beal.</p>
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