Gary Payton just said the only current player than can play like he did right now is Rajon Rondo. Except for the scoring mentality.
High praise
Yeah, high praise but not really very accurate.
When I watch Rondo the last player I think of, in comparison, is Gary Payton. Payton could light it up, and was a very solid shooter. Also, while he did cheat passing lanes at times, he was a phenomenal lock-down one-on-one defender (maybe the best ever). I'm not sure Rondo has that in him.
I really don't think there is any previous PG that Rondo can be compared to. He just has such a unique set of strengths and weaknesses, unlike anyone I've ever seen. The closest is probably Jason Kidd, but Kidd was bigger and had a post game Rondo could never have.