Rondo: Playing in Dallas 'just didn't work'

After a tumultuous 2014-15 season, Sacramento Kings point guard Rajon Rondo is not afraid to admit that his brief time with the Dallas Mavericks was problematic.

"Every relationship doesn't work," Rondo said to Tim McMahon of ESPN.com. "It just didn't work. No excuses. No pointing the finger at anybody. It made me stronger, made me appreciate just playing the game, especially playing at a high level. I never doubted myself. It just didn't work."

Rondo began last year with the Boston Celtics before he was traded to the Mavericks last December. In 46 games with Dallas, Rondo averaged 9.3 points, and 6.5 assists, while shooting 45.2 percent from the line, and posting a net rating of minus-0.5.

His already rocky tenure in Dallas took a turn for the worse in the playoffs, where he was benched by head coach Rick Carlisle in Game 2 of the team's series against the Houston Rockets. The mercurial guard did not return for the rest of the series, as Houston eliminated the Mavericks in five games.

Rondo says his issues in Dallas have motivated him to play better in Sacramento, and the results are showing on the court.

"I think it made me hungrier," he said. "I never started doubting myself. It made me work a little bit harder. I think I worked the hardest I ever worked in the NBA this summer."

In Rondo's first game against his former team on Monday night, he put up 21 points, five assists, and three rebounds in the Kings' 112-98 win.