Not that this is the be all and end all, but just to add to the conversation basketballreference is now breaking down turnover by type. It looks like ball-handling turnovers would be the bulk (or all) of the "lost ball" category. Here's a breakdown of minutes played per ball-handling turnover for the players discussed plus a few others (obviously a higher number means fewer turnover, because you go more minutes between turnovers).
Rondo 65
JaCrawford 65
CPaul 53
JoCrawford 51
Irving 35
TParker 42
Deron 45
Westbrook 29
Rose 37
Wall 34
So I'd say that the Crawfords get a boost from not handling the ball as much as some of the others, Rondo and Paul are the best of the PGs, and Westbrook, ugh.
Faulty logic, but still relevant and interesting numbers.
Faulty because Irving turns it over more, but does way harder stuff than some of the others. Rondo too. But he's just a magician.
So what you're trying to say is that Irving is a better ball handler, because he is more inclined to try overly fancy moves that he can't pull off, and lose the ball as a result?
Personally I've always believed Rondo is massively underrated with both his ball handling and his speed. Everybody talks about guys like Derek Rose when it comes to speed and ball handling, but when Rondo is pushing the ball full speed up the court he does some absolutely amazing things with the ball...and you rarely ever see him bounce it out of bounds, off his foot, etc.
Other guys out there might do fancier things with the ball (Steve Francis style) but in this league you don't get points for showboating. Doing fancy one-handed behind-your-back dribbles that bounce off your foot and go out of bounds does not win games.
This is just another skill Rondo has that people overlook. Everyone talks about his passing, his rebounding, his court vision, his IQ. Nobody ever talks about his ability to sprint full court, then stop instantaneously (as his defender launches out of control in to the crowd) and then put in the easy, undefended layup. There is not a single guy in the NBA who I've seen transition from a full-on sprint to a complete stop as quickly as Rondo can...it's absolutely freakish.