Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers: 5 Takeaways

Rondo Racks up the Assists

Rajon Rondo has always had a reputation across the league as an elite distributer, and he showed us why tonight. He ended the night with 13 assists, a great number for any player, but add in the fact that he played only 25 minutes, and you arrive at something truly special. Rondo had five assists by the end of the first quarter, and 11 by halftime.

Rondo’s court vision is something that Chicago hasn’t seen for a long time. We praised Joakim Noah’s ability to find guys from the high post (he led the Knicks in assists tonight with seven), but Rondo is on a whole different level, and his teammates know it: there were more than a few passes that Rondo threw tonight that were so impressive, the other Bulls didn’t even see them coming, and they resulted in turnovers or fumbled opportunities.

Those miscommunications will surely get worked out and smoothed over as the season progresses, and it looks like Rondo will have many more nights like this one. His passing is a huge part of why the Bulls’ transition game looks so much more vibrant than last year. We’re in for a lot of highlight plays that start with a full court pass from Rondo.