2. He can stabilize the bench unit
The Lakers have a fairly young bench. Although vets Dwight Howard and Jared Dudley are part of their bench mob, they need a floor general and leader with the requisite skills who can head that unit when James is resting.
In Rondo, the Lakers have a second legit floor general/quarterback who can dictate things offensively when he’s out there.
This was evident in last season’s blowout win over the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day. When James went out with his groin injury in the third quarter, the Lakers were leading by 14 points. The Warriors went on a run to cut it to 2 with 2:48 left in the third, but Rondo scored 13 points and notched five assists after that and the Lakers won 127-101.
Staggering the times when James and Rondo are on the floor seems to be a priority for coach Vogel.
"“To me, it’s going to be important to make sure that we stagger Rajon and LeBron, too,” said Vogel. “And let each of them have their turn running the show, being the primary ball-handler out there. And obviously, they’re going to play a ton together as well, but staggering those guys is on my mind as well.”"