I always thought of Stockton as always great but rarely spectacular. He was very consistent, remarkably so. But while people complain that Rondo doesn't always find that extra gear in the playoffs, Stockton didn't really have that extra gear.
If Rondo consistently played at Stockton's level, I don't think anybody would be complaining. You don't need an extra gear when you're John Stockton.
I mean, Michael Jordan didn't have an extra gear. Larry Bird didn't, either. These are guys who were just consistently great, night in and night out. Everyone has poor games, but 9 out of 10 games, you knew what you were going to get from Stockton or Jordan or Bird.
With Rondo, for his career he's been such a mixed bag. What you call an extra gear is what separates him from being an all-time great. If he could play consistently at a superstar level, nobody would be calling him out. The good news is, Rondo seems to be achieving that night in, night out consistency recently.