Rajon Rondo has appeared in only one game for the Los Angeles Lakers this season as he nurses a sore calf. When he returns permanently, Frank Vogel will need to sort out rotations to find him a spot and it does not look like an easy task.
We are less than ten games into the season and it is clear that the Los Angeles Lakers are finally a serious contender for the championship again. Despite some bad shooting, everything else is clicking for the Lakers, who are currently atop the NBA being led by Anthony Davis‘s dominance and LeBron James‘s overall performances.
Rajon Rondo has so far watched from the bench mostly, as a sore calf has kept him sidelined for all but one game. He made his debut against the Phoenix Suns in Game 10.
In his absence, Frank Vogel had to figure out rotations at the point guard position, which, fortunately, is very deep on Lakers’ roster.
This summer, Vogel quickly shut down the rumors about James playing the point guard, but in fact, it is what is happening. So far, LeBron is playing the point in the starting lineup, while Danny Green and Avery Bradley stay on the wing to provide some much-needed shooting.
According to Vogel’s declarations once again, things are not going to stay this way for long. Rajon Rondo would be the starting point guard once back, and LeBron would shift to the small forward.
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These words came right after the season opener, a loss handed to the Lakers by the LA Clippers. Since then, the Lakers have gone 9-1. Are we sure Vogel will be willing to change things when they are going so fine?
LeBron has played most of his minutes at point guard, distributing a career-high 11 assists through 10 games. He has moved to his original small forward occupation for short periods, when in need of scoring. So far, things have worked great.
Coming off the bench would look like the case for Rondo, but even there, he is right now facing a hard competition. Alex Caruso has established himself as the leading backup point guard, providing a solid contribution as one of the best perimeter defenders of the team. His playmaking and athleticism complete his profile.
Right behind him, there is Quinn Cook, primarily signed to provide shooting and play a little bit off the ball. Against the Chicago Bulls, the Lakers arrived to deploy a very unusual lineup (even for today’s standards) with LeBron James at point guard and Caruso and Cook (who led the comeback in the fourth quarter) on the wing.
Rondo should not undermine the role that Caruso conquered as a primary backup, and he cannot certainly replace Cook’s shooting.
Hence, the question remains, what role is available for him?
Will Frank Vogel really relieve James of the point guard duties? Will Caruso and Cook lose what they worked so hard to earn? Or will he have to watch from the bench in await of a necessary change of rotations?