– More Rondo
With Collison staying retired, the Lakers will be rolling with the same point guard rotation that they have been so far this season. For the Lakers, that means more of Rajon Rondo. Since coming to the Lakers, many have wanted to see a lot less of Rondo. While his per-game stats aren’t bad, they tell a different story from what you see on the court.
Rondo was once an excellent defender earlier in his career. Now, he looks like one of the worst defensive point guards in the league. For a team that prides themselves on defense under Frank Vogel, Rondo certainly isn’t getting the job done on that end of the court.
However, due to the Lakers not having any other real playmakers of facilitators on the team outside of LeBron James, Rondo is needed on the offensive end. With James off the court, the Lakers take a nose-dive offensively. Even though Rondo hasn’t played well, he is still a better playmaker than Avery Bradley or Alex Caruso in the sense of a “traditional point guard”
With the second unit, Collison would have been a noticeable upgrade to Rondo on both the offensive and defensive ends. However, unless a move is made elsewhere, Rondo will still have a sizable role on the Lakers.