Los Angeles Lakers: Can a Rajon Rondo, Lonzo Ball backcourt work?

The past few games we have seen the Los Angeles Lakers deploy the backcourt of Lonzo Ball and Rajon Rondo at the same time, but can it work?

When the Los Angeles Lakers announced that Rajon Rondo was joining the squad, it made a lot of people wonder, what happens to Lonzo Ball? Will he come off the bench? Be trade bait for Anthony Davis? Or can they work together?

On paper this backcourt does not look too promising, how can two point guards with suspect jump shots survive on the same court during the three-point era? Not to mention they would be sharing the floor with the one and only LeBron James, who is at his best with the floor spread, shooters all around.

The sample size has been small so far with the suspension Rondo had to serve, while far from perfect, the experiment has looked a lot better on the court than on paper. Rondo and Ball are both tall, lanky point guards with excellent basketball instincts, making them a nightmare for opponents on the defensive end.

These two on the court together also helps the Lakers keep the pace up, score easy baskets, and keep the pressure on the defense. Lonzo can be a bit passive offensively sometimes which could cause problems with Rondo, who also likes to share the ball more than score. Rajon will more than likely become the “scorer” out of the two, as he has more seasoned skills and a savvy way of getting buckets.

Big question though is how about the half-court? Neither of them are sharpshooters, which shrinks the space LeBron has to work. The way this can work is off ball movement by both players; this can hide their lackluster percentages outside the paint.  Lonzo seems to have improved his finishing at the rim, shooting 71 percent this season, which is up from his 49 percent average last season.

Being able to finish at the rim makes off the ball movement more effective, as the defense has to honor it. Rondo is shooting 60 percent at the basket this season, plus his reputation as a creative finisher is enough to garnish attention. As long as these two aren’t both lackadaisically standing on the wing watching LeBron work, then the lack of shooting will become overshadowed by their movement.

With Rajon Rondo on a one year deal, this is bound to be just a one-year experiment for the Lakers. Lonzo has looked like his jumper is on the rise, which would make these two incredibly deadly together.