Los Angeles Lakers: How Rajon Rondo will kill any NBA Finals chances

Lake Show Life has a controversial statement that will become true if Rajon Rondo continues to get his minutes. A special report from Lake Show Life showing the many ways Rondo’s play will derail the Los Angeles Lakers chances for a title.

The Los Angeles Lakers are out of the All-Star break. The front office presumably will be working to make the roster improvements. For the Los Angeles Lakers, Friday will start the unofficial race for the top seed for the NBA postseason.

As of this writing, the Lakers are sitting at the top of the mountain of the Western Conference at 41-12 going into Friday’s matchup against Memphis. Despite the record, Lake Show Life sees a storm brewing over Lakers Nation when they make the postseason.

Rob Pelinka, Frank Vogel and his coaching staff, LeBron James and Anthony Davis will be tested on how badly they want an NBA title this year.

While the other conference contenders made moves during the trade deadline, the Lakers stood pat. That wasn’t a real issue considering the options they had were slim and none. Here’s where the issues start kicking in, it was widely believed that the team would grab someone off the buyout market. Nothing has happened.

Across the hall, the LA Clippers are starting to stack their roster with talent and Houston, quietly are making upgrades while the Lakers are still rolling with a flawed roster, needing a wing defender and backup playmaker.

While the narrative of what the reason is for the nonactivity up to this moment is chemistry, it’s hard to ignore the moves of the Los Angeles Clippers.

• The team headlines a trade featuring Moe Harkless to the New York Knicks for Marcus Morris. The Lakers hope to nab him if he gets bought out. Reports have said nothing about Harkless or the Knicks looking for a buyout.
• They immediately sign Reggie Jackson after he was waived from the Detroit Pistons. Reports are conflicting if the Lakers wanted him or not.

Don’t think the media haven’t noticed. On ESPN’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith makes a statement that the Lakers are better of with Magic Johnson running the show. Max Kellerman’s takes on Kobe Bryant? Man, please just stop.

Since no one will bring the real issue to light, Lake Show Life will step to the forefront and tell the Lakers faithful what the real issue is with the team. It’s one player that is the negative dynamic that will cost the Lakers a realistic chance at the NBA Finals. No check that, the Western Conference Finals. His name?

Rajon Rondo.

Rondo has gotten a ton of criticism on this website. Some of our regular readers are starting to notice as well. It has been well documented from every NBA media outlet that the offense drops off the cliff when LeBron James sits down to rest. It makes no sense when one player (LeBron) affects the efficiency of an offense.

• The Lakers have consistently been a top-three ranked offense all season long when King James runs the offense.
• The Lakers are 28th in the NBA when LeBron James sits down to rest. Coincidence? No. This article will break down why.

Rajon Rondo has been inefficient this season, to say the least. At the beginning of the season, Frank Vogel said that he was an improved shooter. After a couple of weeks, that has fallen off.  This affects the floor spacing and his confidence to take the open shot when needed.

Defensively? Come on, quit it. He hasn’t played any defense of any magnitude since the championship years in Boston about a decade ago. Check the roster back then. His teammates may have covered a ton of his mistakes.

Lake Show Life will make the declaration here. This writer will stand by it and will be waiting for the playoffs for this prediction to come true.

• Assuming that Rob Pelinka does not bring in a player to back up LeBron James as the playmaker and believes the roster is good enough as is.
• Assuming Frank Vogel continues to give Rajon Rondo upwards to 20 minutes a game.
• The fact that Rajon Rondo will pick up his game is not an assumption. He won’t, he is the same player that played his way out of numerous NBA franchises.

The Los Angeles Lakers will not make it out of the second round of the playoffs with Rajon Rondo taking away minutes from players that offer more off the bench and not living off past reputations.

Let’s make one thing perfectly clear before the discussion starts. This is based on the Los Angeles Lakers NOT making any moves to improve the playmaking issues on the roster.

Has anyone heard this phrase before? Rajon Rondo is a basketball savant.

The second Rajon Rondo put on a Laker uniform, analysts all have said the same thing over and over again. “Rajon Rondo is a basketball savant”.  For this article, the definition was looked at what the term really meant courtesy of the Cambridge Dictionary.

Savant: A person with a high level of knowledge or skill, especially someone who is less able in other ways.

Based on the body of work this season, Rajon Rondo is a basketball savant. He has a very high level of skill in the game of basketball. It’s just that he is manipulating that knowledge to stay relevant on the roster which will come back to bite the Lakers in the postseason.

In the day and age of social media where video clips are all the rage for NBA fans, all Rondo needs is two highlight plays and the savant narrative to get over. Does this play look nice here?

In the final game before the All-Star break against the Denver Nuggets, Rondo throws an alley-oop to Anthony Davis for the slam dunk. As you can see, the highlight is on Twitter.

Now let’s take a look at the reality of the situation. It was his only assist in 14 minutes. He had more fouls (3) than points (2) and rebounds (1). To further this point, he had a plus/minus of -5.

Couple Rondo’s knowledge of the game with a player like AD, who you can throw a lob within three blocks of the rim, he does get assists that look like nice reads.

But let’s look deeper into what he does for everyone else that doesn’t have max-level contracts. Most of the passes are off-with the shot clock running down putting them in bad positions. These passes bog the offense to a halt and a turnover percentage of over 20 percent.

Let’s take a look at the games when Rajon Rondo played very well. A short look.

The Los Angeles Lakers have played over 50 games. Rajon Rondo has played well in two.

One of these games shouldn’t even count. The most recent game was against the Phoenix Suns, who for some reason thought a small lineup would work against the Lakers.

After checking the roster, James Harden and Russell Westbrook are not on it. After a thorough background check, they still play for the Houston Rockets. Then throw in the fact that Devin Booker was still sulking over his All-Star snub. Remember Damian Lillard hadn’t gotten hurt yet.

Rajon Rondo took advantage of a poor Suns’ performance to have a strong game of 23 points, six assists and four rebounds. The box score was buoyed by 15 points explosion in the first half, including a personal 8-0 run by himself. But let’s go further here. The Lakers already had the game in hand and his scoring extend the lead.

The OKC game with the absence of AD and LeBron was the game that Rondo can hang his hat on. That was the game when everyone thought the Lakers had no chance, especially with Rajon in the starting lineup. He knew it. That’s why an impromptu meeting was set up before the game.

As we all know, the Los Angeles Lakers shocked the NBA world blowing the Thunder out of their own gym. Kyle Kuzma scored 36 points in his best performance of the season playing alongside Rondo.

Rajon Rondo played his best game of the season just missing a triple-double with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists.

Now that you’ve seen the good times between Kyle Kuzma and Rajon Rondo, let’s look at the other side of the equation.

Rajon Rondo is putting Kuzma in difficult positions to score when running the offense. 

On the previous page, we saw how well the two played together. There’s a reason why. What choice did the two have? AD and LeBron weren’t playing and most were predicting an embarrassing blowout. Now let’s make the comparison with the rest of the season.

The OKC game was an anomaly based on the fact that both were going to get big minutes. Now they both average around 20 minutes a night.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ major problem finding a third scorer coincides with how badly Kuzma struggles while playing with Rondo running the offense. For most of the season, Kuz has averaged two-thirds of his minutes with Rondo on the floor. Here’s where the narrative of the Los Angeles Lakers needing a playmaker is created.

While most of the roster has been affected not having a shot creator behind James, with the lack of experience of the NBA game, Kyle has been affected the most.

• Based on a seven-game stretch when Kuzma came back after his second ankle injury, he’s shot an awful 25 percent from 3 point range with Rondo on the court as opposed to 38 percent when Rondo’s off it.
• Also, Kuzma had a +17 plus/minus ratio when he plays with LeBron and falls off the efficiency cliff (-11.5) when Rondo was running the show.

It hasn’t gotten any better for the duo in recent games. Let’s look at Kyle Kuzma’s stats the last seven games in comparison to the season.

Last seven games – 23.1 MPG 8.3 FGA (48%) 2.6 3PA (28%) 6.6 RPG 2.7 APG 10.7 PPG

Previous 37 games – 25 MPG 11.1 FGA (43%) 4.7 3PA (34%) 4.0 RPG 1.1 APG 12.9 PPG

Does it seem strange that Kuzma is counted on to be the 3rd scorer with fewer shot attempts? Look at the 3-point percentage. Does this play here show possible evidence of why that is the case?

https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1227086080672858113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1227086080672858113&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Flakeshowlife.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D109975%26action%3Dedit

If you look at this play here, Rondo has the ball so far out that he isn’t even in the picture. Kyle Kuzma is calling for the ball 25 feet from the basket. With five seconds left in the shot clock, Rondo passes the ball with Kuzma forced to take a low percentage shot. Sure it goes in, but these are the situations Kuzma deals with at least once or twice in every game.

When LeBron James is on the floor, the majority of the time Rondo is off the floor. Why? Because there is more spacing in the offense and it allows lanes to drive to the basket.

Notice the game in Houston weeks ago. LeBron James, being the willing passer to the shooters, forces the defense to stay at home. When they do, LeBron goes to the basket and scores. Kyle Kuzma is a slasher so he needs those same lanes to get to the basket.

https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1218752609093160960

Here’s where Rondo is hurting Kyle Kuzma. Everyone knows that he can’t shoot the ball from distance. Furthermore, everyone knows that he does not WANT to shoot the ball from distance. Hence the defense collapses and the Lakers are basically playing 4 on 5 on offense.

Finally, with all of the dribbling around the perimeter Rondo does, it leads to bad shots against the shot clock. If they don’t fall, it leads to a fast break for the opponent. The Los Angeles Lakers are amongst the worst in the NBA with transition defense.

But is Rondo play with Kuzma an accident?

Rajon Rondo could easily be making things difficult for Kyle Kuzma!

Most NBA experts beat the same drum that LeBron James’ greatest strength is making his teammates better. Isn’t that what Rajon Rondo supposed to do as well? The running joke around Lake Show Life is that Rondo is blind in one eye and has AD and LeBron in the other.

If Rondo is so knowledgeable about the game, don’t you think that he could use that experience to affect Kyle Kuzma? Do you think it hasn’t happened before?

If Ray Allen, one of the greatest shooters in the NBA got affected, who’s Kyle Kuzma? Ray Allen may have joined LeBron in Miami based his final season with his struggles with Rajon in Boston. He spoke on it years ago courtesy of NBA Sports Boston.

"“There were parts throughout the season where I was starting to feel this type of resentment toward me on the floor. Other people would tell me at first, and I would ignore it, because I don’t like people getting into my team business because this is my teammate. But people would always say, “He looks you off. When you come off a screen, he sees you and he doesn’t pass you the ball when you are open.” At first, my family would say it, because they watch intently, and they…they know the game. And so I just said, “Listen because you have said this before about other guys, but I don’t engage in that.” So then, I started paying attention to it, because I started noticing it. And I went to Doc. And I asked Doc, and I said, “Doc, I think dude is looking me off, and he’s not passing me the ball. And I don’t know why, but I’m coming off, I’m running the plays that you are drawing up, and he’s not passing me the ball. And He’ll shoot it or he’ll go in the other direction.” And Doc’s response was, “I know.  We talked about it as a coaching staff.” I was like, “Wow. So you knew this whole time and you didn’t say anything. You didn’t address it to me, and more importantly, you’re not addressing him about it.” I think his response or his way of handling it was, this when he wanted to bring me off the bench.”"

Let’s just assume that Ray Allen is right, things are souring based on this situation. Now take a look at the other teammates affected on the breakup. Notice Rajon Rondo said nothing.

The point here is this, if there is a beef behind the scenes between Kyle Kuzma and Rajon Rondo similar to the past, they had better grill it up and eat it because the Los Angeles Lakers will not win as things are going now.

That’s just Kyle Kuzma. Let’s talk about another perceived threat to Rondo’s stature in the rotation.

Alex Caruso played himself right back into the rotation against Denver. Where does that leave Rondo?

Against the Nuggets, the stars will get the lion’s share of the credit for the win. But it was the 2-way play of Dwight Howard and Alex Caruso who came up with huge plays on both ends of the floor that helped change the game. How huge was the Caruso impact?

The Lakers Net Rating with Caruso on/off the court vs the Nuggets.

• On Court (22 min): +50.2 net rating
• Off Court (31 min): -32.1 net rating

Head coach Frank Vogel made sure that Howard and Caruso’s effort was documented for the record, via Spectrum SportsNet.

"“I think Dwight and Alex really gave us a lift. Dwight with his matchup on The Joker… the physicality with which he played. And Alex is our secret weapon. He comes in and usually provides a spark off the bench and I think those two guys were pivotal.”"

Okay, Dwight Howard’s role is stapled in for the rest of the season. That’s a given. What about Caruso’s role going forward? Vogel stated he could see increased playing time:

"“Yeah, it’s a possibility for it expanding. Granted, right now he’s my secret weapon. I break him out when I need him. He certainly earned a rotational spot and he’s in the rotation. Like I said, when we need him to grow into a bigger role he delivers.”"

Now, where does that leave Rajon Rondo? Alex Caruso has a knack for making winning plays when it matters. Does he possess the same court vision and playmaking ability of Rondo? No. But neither does Avery Bradley, the unofficial starting point guard for your Los Angeles Lakers.

What works for Caruso is the fact that he is an excellent defender and knows when to cut off-ball. Does Rajon play defense? Not since he left Boston. When have you seen him cut to the basket backdoor? The season is still 29 games young, we can wait for the answer.

Vogel has opted to play Rajon Rondo as the backup to James so he can bring the ball up the floor and organize the offense. He hasn’t done that, for the most part, this season. Now Vogel and the coaching staff have to weigh options. Either keep your word and give minutes earned by a player that makes timely winning plays like these.

https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1221278903886479360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1221278903886479360&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Flakeshowlife.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D109975%26action%3Dedit

Or stay with a player that is unable to stay in front of his man on defense and consistently knock down an open shot with any consistency. Let’s just say that Rondo falls out of the rotation completely, then what?

Rajon Rondo has played his way out of numerous franchises. What happens if the Playoff Rondo narrative is taken from him?

Rajon Rondo’s playoff reputation is based on his performances in Boston. At last check, it is now 2020. The last deep playoff run Rondo was back in 2010. Didn’t the Los Angeles Lakers win that year?

The point is, Rondo is far removed from those times to be a major contributor for a Los Angeles Lakers run to the NBA Finals. Most experts pan his performance this year with, “He’ll turn into ‘Playoff Rondo’ in the postseason.” Lake Show Life says he won’t. But let’s assume that the team agrees and makes a move.

Rajon Rondo has always been a calculated risk when putting together a team. Rondo has a shelf life before he lets it be known that there are things that he is not cool with. He did it last year at times with his distractions. Plus, he is known to carry a grudge or two. It has happened at almost every stop in his career.

Boston:

At the end of his tenure when Brad Stevens was brought in as coach, it was clear that Rondo was not a fit. Stevens tried to implement a motion offense (Umm, the Lakers have that offense right?) and a defensive identity for the team. By the time Rondo was traded, he had a reputation of breaking the offensive sets to get his assists. Defense? Well, that got him a ticket out-of-town to the Dallas Mavericks.

Dallas:

It’s really difficult to alienate an entire franchise in five-months. Yes, the player accomplished it. He was suspended almost immediately for conduct detrimental to the team in February of 2015. Well, this play in the playoffs pretty much sums it up against Houston. An 8-second call and a 3-point shot from Jason Terry ended Rondo’s stint in Dallas.

He was sent home for the playoffs after the game. The word “quit” floated around Rondo as he and head coach Rick Carlisle did not get along and offensive chemistry suffered when he was on the floor. Remember that mysterious back injury he had in the playoffs after he was benched? Did you believe that? Good, two points for you.

Chicago:

Rajon Rondo played his way out of the rotation, got suspended, and called out Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade all in the same year! But somehow things worked out to get in the playoffs. This is when fans were reminded of Playoff Rondo. The Bulls should have swept the Celtics that year. A broken thumb derailed Chicago’s chances. In the offseason, the team released him.

New Orleans:

The Los Angeles Lakers are banking for this player that teamed up with Anthony Davis to shock the NBA world in the playoffs a couple of seasons ago. Only one problem, that was a couple of seasons ago and a few things were overlooked.

A DeMarcus Cousins Achilles injury and a trade at the deadline left the Pelicans in dire straits. Alvin Gentry had to piece together a helter-skelter pacing scheme to compensate. There was a period that Rondo was out of the rotation. But when called on, his collaboration with Jrue Holiday worked. After taking Portland to the shed sweeping them in four games, they took a game in the second round from the Golden State Warriors. Most of the success was because of Rajon.

But if he played so well, why did New Orleans let him walk?

If the Los Angeles Lakers don’t bring in another point guard, that’s okay. Believe it or not, they have enough. However, these things have to happen.

• Avery Bradley should have his minutes increased. If there is an “unofficial” minute restriction based on leg injuries, cool. But it needs to be lifted soon.
• Alex Caruso needs more consistent minutes. Period. He deserves it not only for his defense but he needs to be comfortable so his shot is not affected. He lost his shot for about 5 games. No field goals. That won’t fly in the playoffs.
• Kentavious Caldwell-Pope needs more minutes. To the ones that are paying attention, KCP has been the most consistent outside shooter on the team. He’s notoriously streaky. The Lakers can’t afford him to lose his confidence like he did in the first two weeks of the season.
• Give Quinn Cook 10-15 minutes to see what he can do. He contributed for the Warriors in the Finals. Did he forget how to play basketball? Troy Daniels is a stretch but at least see what the options are with him as well. 

Again, the Lakers may bring in someone from the buyout market. But if they don’t, if Rajon Rondo still plays 15-20 minutes a game backing up LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers will be upset in the first round.

Book it.