Los Angeles Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo has been sidelined after suffering fractured thumb during practice. He is expected to join the Los Angeles Lakers after 6-8 weeks of rehab.
Rajon Rondo’s injury can be detrimental to the Lakers in their pursuit to clinch top seed in the western conference. Rondo averaged 7.7 points and 5 assist in 20.5 minutes per game before the suspension. He suffered a fracture in the bubble and will undergo surgery soon. Los Angeles Lakers Coach Frank Vogel said Rondo doesn’t know how he suffered the fracture. The pain kept getting worse, so he had it looked at during a break in practice and that’s when the injury was discovered.
Danny Green expects Rajon Rondo to remain involved and “coach his a** off” while recovering from hand surgery
After losing their starting point guard Avery Bradley, who chose to sit the season out owing to safety concerns, Coach Frank Vogel moved Rondo up in the rotation. His role enhanced from a mere role player to a starting point guard after Avery Bradley’s departure.
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Who will step up for the Los Angeles Lakers in Rajon Rondo’s absence
Rondo was the secondary playmaker for the Lakers after LeBron James. They severely lack playmakers as most players on the team can’t create their own shot. Quin Cook, Danny Green, and Dion Waiters are predominant shooters, they can’t feed the ball to their teammates.
Rondo’s absence on the court will be felt in the seeding games, however, he had an overall negative shooting impact on the Lakers. His defense has deteriorated over the years although he has a positive overall presence on this end. This will also move Danny Green and Alex Caruso up in rotation, giving them more minutes on the court.
Over the years Lebron James has always increased his minutes significantly come playoffs. He is expected to play 40+ minutes on the court serving as the primary playmaker which will make up for Rondo’s absence.
Lebron James’s former Miami Heat teammate Mario Chalmers pitched to Lakers to sign him for the remainder of this season after Rondo’s injury. However, Lakers are not eligible to sign a replacement for Rajon Rondo as he is expected to join them in the second round of playoffs. After signing JR Smith, this Lebron-Mario reunion seems unlikely.
Mario Chalmers is ready to replace Rajon Rondo pic.twitter.com/bpo745L71F
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) July 13, 2020
The Los Angeles Lakers are expecting a speedy recovery for Rajon Rondo to join them in playoffs and bring the championship home.
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