Los Angeles Lakers: Three surprising predictions for this season

3. Rajon Rondo will be traded at mid-season

Fans differ more in their opinion about Rondo than they do about any other player on the Lakers roster. He played his first eight-plus seasons for the Celtics, where he had a brilliant run. While with Boston he led the league in assists twice, was a four-time All-Star and a four-time All-Defensive player, most recently in the 2012-13 season, with a reputation as a great passer who lacked an outside shot.

Over the next five seasons he has played for five different teams, including the Lakers last year, without achieving the same level of success. Now age 33, he is still a savvy floor general, good passer and his shot has actually improved with age.

But the overall quality of his game has dipped. On offense, he tends to hold the ball too long, hunting for his own assists rather than entrusting teammates to keep the ball moving. And although his three-point shooting percentage has increased, he usually remains reluctant to attempt outside shots, usually doing so only as a last resort.

It is on defense, however, where Rondo’s game has showed the most slippage. By the naked eye test, he no longer seems capable of staying in front of his opponent, often watching as his man easily drives past him. According to NBA.com, he ranked 327th last season defensively among 530 players.

Alongside Davis, James, Green and either JaVale McGee or Dwight Howard in the starting lineup, the Lakers need a defender and solid shooter much more than they need a traditional playmaker. So Rondo will likely be relegated to scrambling for playing time on the second unit.

Reason for the prediction: Rondo can still be an effective NBA point guard. The most foreseeable notion in the NBA is that injuries will force players to miss court time. By mid-season, it is possible, maybe even likely, that at least a team or two need a replacement point guard due to injury.

At the same time, the Lakers are a bit thin at center. They cannot count on both McGee and Howard playing a full season, and they are hesitant to play Davis more than limited time at the 5. So it seems a decent possibility that Rondo will end up being swapped for a big man before the trade deadline.

If some or all of these predictions pan out, remember where you heard them. But if none come to pass, well, just fahgeddaboutit!

All statistics courtesy of www.basketball-reference.com unless otherwise noted