Cavs champs imply Klay Thompson has better HOF case than Rajon Rondo

Former NBA floor general Rajon Rondo and Dallas Mavericks sharpshooter Klay Thompson are two players who could be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame at some point.

However, Cleveland Cavaliers champions Channing Frye and Richard Jefferson seem to think that Thompson has the better case for making the Hall of Fame of the two players.

“Is Klay Thompson a future Hall of Famer?” ex-Cav Kendrick Perkins asked.

Jefferson responded definitively.

“First ballot,” Jefferson said.

Frye then chimed in.

“No, we’re not comparing Klay Thompson to Rondo,” Frye said. “I’m not — no offense. I can’t do that. I think Rondo is a great, great player. Rondo on neither one of those teams was the Batman or Robin, right? Was he the leader? Was he a floor general? For sure. But you wouldn’t say on the [Los Angeles] Lakers when he won, nor on Boston, he was the first- or second-best player.

Rondo — a four-time All-Star, four-time All-Defense selectee, three-time assists champion and two-time NBA champ — will be eligible for the Hall of Fame soon, as he last played in the league in the 2021-22 campaign, and players have to be retired for four full seasons to be eligible.

As for Thompson, his pro career is still going strong, but he might be nearing the tail end of his time in the NBA. After all, he will turn 36 years old in February of next year, and he’s shown some signs of slowing down in recent years. Last season, he averaged 14.0 points per game — his lowest scoring average since he was a rookie in the 2011-12 season — while shooting just 41.2 percent from the floor. He did shoot 39.1 percent from 3.

Both players have strong resumes, but Thompson’s likely stands out to some as a bit more impressive, with his four championships doing a lot to help his case. There are certainly some similarities in the two players’ stories, including the fact that they had to overcome serious injuries in the NBA to extend their careers.

Regardless of who folks believe has the better case to be inducted into the Hall of Fame between Thompson and Rondo, both players could be enshrined in Massachusetts at one point or another.

Cavaliers fans know how talented Rondo and Thompson were at their best, as Cleveland faced the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals four years in a row, and the team also did battle against Rondo’s Boston Celtics when franchise legend LeBron James was in his first stint as a Cav.