LeBron James plays the point guard for one reason. The Los Angeles Lakers have no choice in the matter.
To get a full understanding of how bad the Lakers bench “playmakers” were, take a gander at the box scores of the guards.
- Rajon Rondo: In 15 minutes, Rondo out up numbers of 0 points (0-of-4 shooting, 0-of-1 from 3-point land), one assist and one turnover. His plus/minus was an atrocious -12.
- Troy Daniels: In four minutes, Daniels scored 0 points (0-of-1 shooting, was a 3-point shot) and did not register anything on the box score. His plus/minus was -12.
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: KCP contributed three points (1-of-4 shooting, 1-of-3 from 3-point land), three rebounds, two assists and a steal. His plus/minus was -12.
- Alex Caruso: He has an asterisk here. He left the game for calf soreness. But for the point of reference, he missed his only shot. His plus/minus was +2.
All of these players combined to tally four assists. LeBron James had triple that amount with 12. In other words, the Lakers have no reliable playmakers besides LeBron James.
Former NBA head coach, Sam Mitchell breaks down the problems on NBATV.
Now before Rondo-stans bring up his performance against the Portland Trail Blazers, it does need to be mentioned that the Blazers have been decimated with injuries to their front line. Rondo can be effective against lesser teams. What has he done against contenders? Take your time.
It is believed that the Lakers have three point guards on the roster. Really? Who are they? Rajon Rondo is walking around with a neon arrow sign saying “Not the answer!”.
Alex Caruso is not a point guard. Quinn Cook watches the games on Spectrum Sports Net at this point. After the Phoenix performance, look for Troy Daniels to join him. Jared Dudley is happy being the last guy on the bench. When they are on the floor, opponents would offer them five bucks to shoot the ball. Nobody’s scared of them.
This is why Collison would be a huge upgrade. Collison is an efficient player that can score the basketball by getting his own shot. In addition, he previously played for head coach Frank Vogel during the 2010-12 NBA seasons with the Indiana Pacers.
Vogel will trust him. A situation that the majority of the guards don’t have and one guard (Rondo) doesn’t deserve.