Los Angeles Lakers: Which players deserve to be in the guard rotation?

Backup point guard

The competition for the Lakers backup point guard position is just as tight as the race for the starting job.

Do the Lakers go with Rondo’s incredible playmaking?

Should Bradley get the nod because of his intense defense?

Is Cook’s unbelievable shot-making ability the boost the second unit needs?

Cook is great on offense, but he’s a sieve on defense. Last season he ranked 222nd out of 263 guards in defensive rating throughout the NBA.

If Cook was playing on an offensively starved squad that needs a player who can score in bunches off the bench, then Quinn could carve out a role out on that team, unfortunately for Cook, the Lakers are loaded with scorers up and down the roster.

The Lakers need a point guard who can slow down the surplus of gifted offensive playmakers throughout the NBA. Cook isn’t the right choice to backup Caruso at the point guard position because of his awful defense.

The backup point guard battle should come down to Rondo versus Bradley.

Rondo’s defense isn’t quite as good as Bradley’s and he’s too old to stay in front of the best starting point guards in the NBA. But during the preseason, Rondo worked hard on the less glamorous side of the ball.

We’ve all seen the difference between “Unimportant Game Rondo” versus “Playoff Rondo.” No player in the NBA changes their level of exertion from game to game the way Rajon does. That’s what makes his play on defense during the preseason so enticing.

Rajon played in three contests throughout the preseason, and during those games, as he gave full effort, there wasn’t a big gap defensively between Rondo and Bradley.

• Avery Bradley had a 95.9 defensive rating during the preseason (7th on the Lakers).
• Rajon Rondo had a 97.7 defensive rating throughout preseason (8th on the Lakers).

If Rondo is willing to compete and go 100 percent on defense, then he deserves to get significant playing time during the regular season, because he’s a real difference-maker with the ball in his hands.

When James rests, the second unit is going to need a player who can run the offense and get Dwight Howard, Kyle Kuzma, and company easy looks. Rondo can run an offense much better than Avery Bradley.

Rondo can initiate a pick and roll with Dwight Howard or Anthony Davis, he can drive and kick to Kyle Kuzma or Jared Dudley, and he can also hit Danny Green or KCP with a perfect pass off of a screen. Rondo can slip the ball through the tiniest of cracks at any time; Bradley can’t.

Plus, throughout the preseason, when teams gave Rondo wide-open looks from beyond the arc, he shot the ball with confidence and accuracy (40% from 3-point range on over three attempts per game).

Rondo’s newfound defensive spirit, and his ability to run an elite offense give him a considerable advantage over Avery Bradley.