4. Rajon Rondo- PG
Of all the new faces that came to Los Angeles this offseason, outside of LeBron James, obviously, Rajon Rando is the most important. While he will be slightly overpaid for the one season he is a member of the Lakers, he brings immense value on and off the court.
In terms of his off the court value, every young player that has played with Rondo in recent years has had nothing but praise for what he brings to the locker room. Believe it or not, Rajon Rondo has morphed into a very valuable veteran leader, something the Lakers need considering the youth of their team.
In terms of his on the court value, he gives the Lakers something no other team has. Three elite, top-tier passers, and the ability to have more than one at the court at all times– if they so choose. The starting lineup will feature Lonzo Ball and LeBron James, a passing duo only rivaled by the backcourt of the Houston Rockets. That will be a tall task to defend. Not impossible, but far from easy.
Things get tricky for opposing teams when bench units come out and the Lakers have one of the best passers and playmakers in the NBA running their offense. Last year, the team was devoid of a solid backup point guard who could run the offense efficiently until Isaiah Thomas arrived. In the short time when Thomas was healthy, the difference made by having a competent pick and roll point guard on the bench was apparent. Players like Ivica Zubac flourished now that they were given far easier shots on a regular basis.
To replace Thomas with Rondo, who is a far better facilitator, is an immediate upgrade that should give the Lakers one of the best benches in the league. And that isn’t an exaggeration.
Rondo places in the 96th percentile of assist percentage and in the 98th percentile of assist to usage rate ratio, per Cleaning The Glass. Having a player of that caliber running your second unit is unheard of.
He is not much of a scorer, but with shooters like Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, Moritz Wagner, and Svi Mykhailiuk on the bench, an elite facilitator is exactly what the team needs to bring the best out of them. Look around the league and you will struggle to find a more perfect backup point guard on any team.