A point guard battle is brewing for the Los Angeles Lakers between Rajon Rondo and Lonzo Ball and Ball is ready to compete for his spot.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been very busy this offseason. They landed the superstar they sought in LeBron James and began filling out their roster around him. One of the signings that caught some people by surprise was Rajon Rondo.
Rondo signed a one-year deal worth $9 million with the Lakers. His signing was considered an odd one because he isn’t a great fit alongside some of the other players because of his inability to shoot 3-pointers. That makes him a seemingly poor fit alongside Lonzo Ball.
Rondo’s previous stops also make you wonder how he will get along with head coach Luke Walton. Rondo has frustrated some people along the way with his antics, but there are also plenty of positives to Rondo signing with the Lakers.
Rondo will bring veteran leadership to a very young team. He has played in more playoff games by himself than the entire Lakers roster has outside their free agent signings. Rondo also gives the Lakers another playmaker, something you can never have too many have.
Los Angeles also desperately needed a backup point guard. Last season whenever Ball was not on the court the pace slowed. That won’t happen with Rondo running the show. He also gives the Lakers a strong replacement should Ball miss games again because of injury.
The big question is, now, who will start? Ball was selected No. 2 overall in 2017 to be the next face of the franchise. He has immense talent, but Rondo isn’t someone that has come off the bench much in his career. Out of the 779 regular season games, he has started 697. Rondo has also started all 105 playoff games he has played in.
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That experience could benefit the Lakers in the starting lineup along James. Could the Lakers really demote Ball from the starting lineup? He came off the bench twice his rookie season out of the 52 games he played.
Rondo has reportedly been told that he will have a chance to start with the Lakers. However, that isn’t bothering Ball. Ball is ready to play for his spot and isn’t running away from the competition that Rondo provides.
Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times reported the news about Rondo and Ball being ready to compete.
"“Rondo has been told it’ll be an open competition at starting point guard. One source close to Ball tells me: ‘Zo’s not running from the competition.'”"
A little competition has never hurt anyone. Rondo and Ball should push each other to be better, which the Lakers will benefit from.
For the Lakers, this position battle is a win-win. Both players bring similar skill sets to the court, so there won’t be a huge drop off when one is on the court instead of the other.
Both players are strong defenders, with Ball possessing more size and length. Rondo and Ball are also elite playmakers and rebound extremely well for point guards. The biggest difference is the shooting. If Ball’s shooting takes a step forward, he will have the edge in that department over Rondo.
Rondo has said all the right things since being introduced, saying he will do what it takes to help Ball take his game to the next level. Rondo added that he is not caught up in starting right now. While he is content right now, that is something that can change once the season is getting closer.
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This will be a position battle worth watching. Both players have an arguement to be made to claiming the starting spot. It will be fun to watch them go at it during training camp to earn the spot.