Basketball is combat. You have to attack your man on both ends of the floor. That means pushing the ball on offense, taking it to the hole, being willing to draw contact and then fight through it to finish. It means attacking on defense. Getting position and maintaining that position. Taking the ball away and altering shots. And owning the glass – being relentless on both the offensive and defensive side.

Every Monday, a guard, a wing, and a big will be nominated as the Combat Players of the Week. Here are the players who Prepared For Combat last week.

Guard: Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics)

Rondo did it all on Sunday, recording his third career triple double (22 points, 10 boards, and 13 assists) to lead the Celtics to a victory in Toronto. He also played aggressive defense, recording 4 steals. That defensive effort has shown up all season, as Rondo is averaging a career-best 2.6 steals per game.

Wing: Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder)

KD came into the home game against Indiana with a plan to be more aggressive. And it showed, he dropped 40 points and stepped up to lead the squad at the end, as he scored 10 points in the final 4:35. In another sign of his growth as a player, KD added 12 boards, for his 7th double-double of the season. Durant is getting to the line, averaging over 9 free throws per game – which is downright deadly when you’re an 87% shooter.

Big: Zach Randolph (Memphis Grizzlies)

Z-Bo ripped down ripped down 15 boards and added 29 points to lead the Grizzlies over the Jazz at home. Over the last four games, Zach is averaging 23 points and 12 boards. He'll be a big part of the puzzle as Memphis fights to earn a coveted playoff spot.

Who should be the Combat Player of the Week?

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