Los Angeles Lakers rumors: Rajon Rondo could be the odd man out at point guard
Recent Los Angeles Lakers rumors involve Rajon Rondo, as some people believe he will be the odd many out of the point guard rotation.
Los Angeles Lakers rumors were consistent throughout the offseason. Whether it was the draft or free agency, there were plenty of rumors swirling. With training camp right around the corner, Lakers rumors will once again begin popping up.
Thanks to some shrewd moves this offseason the front office, the Lakers have some solid depth on the roster. There will be plenty of position battles to watch throughout training camp and the preseason. Only Danny Green, LeBron James and Anthony Davis looked locked into the big minute, starting roles.
One of the battles that will be fascinating to watch is the point guard battle. While James handles the ball as much as a point guard, Avery Bradley, Rajon Rondo, Alex Caruso and Quinn Cook will be competing for the minutes at that spot.
This battle will be a hotly contested one as each brings something different to the court. While answering a mailbag, Mike Trudell of Lakers.com believes Rondo could be the odd man out. Trudell could be right.
Rondo is still a great playmaker. While his assist hunting can be frustrating at times, he showed he can still lead a team when needed. Just ask the Boston Celtics if he has anything left in the tank.
He also has experience playing alongside James and Davis, giving him an edge that no one else on the roster has. Building chemistry will be key to this team finding success, and having some players that are already familiar with each other will only help speed up that process. However, he wasn’t the greatest fit alongside James.
Caruso, while it was a smaller sample size, was a better fit alongside James according to Trudell.
"Two-Man Line Up DataRondo+LeBron: 105.5 ORTG. 110.9 DRTG. -5.4 NET in 602 minutes (35 games)Caruso+LeBron: 111.7 ORTG. 102.6 DRTG. +9.1 NET in 147 minutes (10 games)"
James isn’t going anywhere and the team could look to see if the success he shared alongside Caruso is sustainable. New head coach Frank Vogel is a defensive-minded head coach, as well. Caruso has the edge in that department, in addition to Bradley, who is arguably the best defender of the four.
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We have seen in the past that James does best when surrounded by 3-point shooters. Cook is the perfect fit in that sense. Caruso knocked down his 3-pointers at an impressive clip last season and Bradley has shown he is capable of shooting efficiently from deep as well.
While Rondo has shot better in recent seasons, he is someone opposing teams will dare to shoot the ball in a spot-up role.
The point guard spot it the most fluid position currently on the team. Vogel can go in a number of different directions. During an 82-game season, it is likely he will need all four of these players to step up and contribute.
At this point, though, Rondo could be the odd man out. While he has the experience, his fit on the court is questionable. His skill set, specifically his playmaking, will be needed if James were to miss time again.
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But, unless that happens, he could be looking at a drastically reduced role in 2019-20 compared to 2018-19.