Since joining the Los Angeles Lakers last season, Rajon Rondo has been hounded by critics claiming he is no longer the player that he used to be.

Sure, the 33-year-old playmaker no longer averages All-Star worthy numbers he once normed during his heyday with the Boston Celtics, but Rondo still brings a lot of winning intangibles for the rejuvenated Lakers squad.

The one-time NBA champion has been steady for the Western Conference-leading team as of late, even powering the Lakers to a dominant 125-110 victory over the dangerous Oklahoma City Thunder sans their two best players LeBron James and Anthony Davis on Saturday.

Without James to facilitate on offense, Rondo made sure the Lakers did not miss a beat, coming up with his best performance of the season with 21 points, 12 boards and eight assists against OKC.

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel recently opened up about Rondo's overall impact with the team, via a clip from Spectrum SportsNet (h/t Christian Rivas of Silver Screen & Roll).

“I said it earlier this season, Rajon’s impact is measured in swag. He just brings a confidence to the group. Barking out coverages on the defensive end and controlling the action offensively,” Vogel said. “The biggest uptick the past few games with him is we’re trying to encourage him to play with offensive pace. When he’s doing that, and making those decisions in the open court, we’re pretty tough to stop.”

Since returning from a calf injury that cost him to miss some games to start the year, Rajon Rondo has been sharing playmaking duties with LeBron, tallying 7.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists, while shooting 40.6 percent from the field and 35.2 from three in 27 games so far.