Los Angeles Lakers: 5 non-star point guards to target in free agency

1. Rajon Rondo

Some like him and some don’t. True, he isn’t exactly the stellar defensive player he was several years ago in Boston, and his sometimes prickly personality has turned off a few people.

But he had a nice offensive season for the Lakers, averaging 9.2 points and 8.0 assists a game. The one-time NBA champ also provided nice veteran leadership and stability during what was a turbulent season, as evidenced by the Christmas Day win in Golden State, when after LeBron got hurt he settled the team down and turned a nebulous two-point lead into a 127-101 blowout.

He even shot 35.9 percent from downtown, providing a sharp contrast to his first nine seasons when he was a very poor 3-point shooter. While that isn’t great, especially given that he only attempts a couple a game, you can’t really say he’s a liability in that department anymore.

Rondo has expressed his interest in remaining a Laker, and the feeling is reportedly somewhat mutual. Bringing him back would ease the burden of building chemistry among all the new players they’re sure to have next season, as he not only had a season of playing with LeBron and Kuzma, but he also played with Anthony Davis last season in New Orleans and built some nice chemistry with him.

Given his struggles this season trying to stay in front of his man defensively, he probably shouldn’t be starting at this point. But if the Lakers strike out on their other point guard targets, he could make a decent tag-team duo with someone else not on this list.

Plus, if/when the Lakers make it back to the playoffs with LeBron and AD, his years of playoff and Finals experience will be invaluable.