Rondo taking more contact with pad on healing hand

(Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)
As we close in opening night for the Boston Celtics, more and more chatter is seeming to arise around Rajon Rondo potentially being a lot closer to stepping on the court. It’s even being reported that he was fully dressed and in the layup line for the final preseason tune-up for the squad last night.

We’re less than a week away and the team is STILL not ruling him out for Wednesday the 29th versus the Brooklyn Nets. Head coach Brad Stevens, who flunked medical school, touched on Rondo’s ramped up contact in practice:
"So there's a chance that he would play in the first game," Stevens said. "I don't know that I'm willing to sit here and put a percentage on it. As these guys that cover us on a daily basis will tell you, I've been wrong on every one of my projections thus far. So I guess I flunked medical school.

"He has increased his practice load, he's done some drills with contact, he's done some things and when he has he's worn a pretty big pad on his hand. So from everything I can tell he will continue to increase that and we'll find out how often he has to wear the pad or if it can be a little smaller and how that goes. We're going to go fairly light tomorrow. Harder on Friday. I think we'll know more after practice Friday."
It makes sense that they will wean down that pad to a more smaller size as it continues to heal. Since it is actually a bone break, they should have more insight into the healing progress and once the bone is 100% they'll be compelled to roll Rondo out into the starting line up.

Friday will be a great barometer, if he’s facing heavy contact on that hand with a pad and it works out well than it is conceivable to see #9 next Wednesday. In my amateur medical opinion I can see them having him wear a pad once he returns initially just for protection, which shouldn’t impact Rondo’s “graceful” jump-shot. Stay tuned for continued updates on Rondo's progress and here's to hoping for an Opening Night Rondo Comeback.


Quotes courtesy of CSNNE


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