"It’s sad the game has gone this way" - Rajon Rondo talks about the problem of not having true PGs in the NBA anymore

Former Boston Celtics star Rajon Rondo was a true point guard during his time in the NBA in the sense that he was a playmaker first and a scorer second. The 38-year-old averaged 7.9 assists per game for his career and led the league in assists per game on three different occasions, twice with the Celtics and once with the Sacramento Kings .

In addition, Rondo dished out 7,584 assists across his 16-year NBA career, the 15th-most of any player in league history and ahead of elite passers such as Tony Parker and Bob Cousy .

Rondo believes that true point guards don’t exist in the league anymore

The former floor general recently explained the problem that exists because the NBA lacks true point guards and pass-first players at this point in time.

“I mean, it’s sad. I believe the basketball gods appreciate myself and Chris [Paul] the way we played the game, I believe the right way. It wasn’t not that every guard is scoring down is selfish, but at the same time, the point guard is a leader of the floor. He’s an extension of the coach on the floor.

Chris Paul is another one of the top playmakers of his generation, considering he has averaged the most assists per game in the league five times.

“ And like I said earlier about if a lot of these coaches got thrown out the game, point guard wouldn’t know how to handle the situation. They wouldn’t know what plays to call down the stretch of the games. They wouldn’t know who to get the ball to at certain times, different matchups. So, it’s sad the game has gone this way, but again, the league wanted scoring. The league pushed scoring. The league pushed 160-point games, like there’s no — defense isn’t being cherished. There’s a defensive man award, but nobody really talks about it, ” Rondo said .

What was Rondo’s best playmaking season in the NBA?

Rondo averaged 11.7 assists per contest (a league-high and tied for a career-high) in 53 games played with the Celtics during the 2011-12 regular season.

Arguably, his best passing performance of that season came in an overtime win over the New York Knicks on March 4. The former University of Kentucky standout dropped 20 assists compared to only four turnovers to go along with 18 points and 17 rebounds in a game the Celtics won by a final score of 115-111.

Here’s to hoping that Rondo’s thoughts on real point guards being a dying breed in the NBA will influence more floor generals to play unselfishly on the offensive end of the floor.

Related: "The game is a lost art of actual leaders on the court" - Rajon Rondo on why glorified scoring hurts the NBA