Los Angeles Lakers: What the Rajon Rondo injury means
By Ethan Temkin
What will the Rajon Rondo injury mean for the Los Angeles Lakers?
After the Los Angeles Lakers‘ convincing 117-126 defeat of the Portland Trailblazers, the team suffered some unsettling news when they learned that Rajon Rondo suffered a broken right hand during the 4th quarter when he attempted to steal the ball from Jusuf Nurkic.
Earlier this week, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Rondo will miss three-to-five weeks after a hopefully successful surgery on his right third metacarpal.
With Rondo set to miss an extended amount of time, the question at hand is how will Luke Walton and the Lakers compensate for his absence? There’s no doubt that Rondo was an important piece of the Lakers second unit, providing a steady source of playmaking when LeBron James sits, as well as being a vocal leader on the floor.
If we need someone to step up, that person has to be Brandon Ingram, who is the likely candidate to take over as the second-unit leader. His versatility as a playmaker and the ability to guard multiple positions will have to put on full display if the Lakers want to continue their recent success.
Last year when Ingram was playing point guard due to injuries to Lonzo Ball and Tyler Ennis, he averaged 19.6 points, 5.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and just 2.4 turnovers, easily his best numbers for the 2017-2018 season. With the Lakers once again thin at the point guard position, Ingram will once again have the opportunity to post similar numbers this year.
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The biggest beneficiary of Rondo’s injury however, will undoubtedly be Lonzo Ball, whose struggles this season have caused him to regress in nearly every statistical category. However, if we look at Ball’s stats when Rondo has sat, we see a significant jump in both his numbers and his energy.
In the games without Rajon Rondo, Ball has averaged 12.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 2.6 steals, while shooting 54% from the field, numbers that are on par with his rookie season.
In addition, Rondo’s absence will most likely require Lonzo to be a part of the closing lineup, allowing him to gain valuable crunch-time experience. If the Lakers see Lonzo Ball as their point guard of the future, then he’s going to have to get his reps during these high-pressure moments.
We knew there was going to be a time during this season where the young core was going to have to prove themselves. We just didn’t expect it to happen so soon. But nevertheless, the weight of Rondo’s injury is going to fall on Ingram and Ball and it’s up to these two to deliver.