Alex Caruso may be a better option for the Lakers anyway
Alex Caruso was expected to carry a larger load when Avery Bradley decided he was sitting out the restart. Now, even more weight will be placed on Caruso’s shoulders as he will likely assume more ball-handling and playmaking responsibilities with the second unit. It remains to be seen whether or not he is up for the task as he has zero playoff experience under his belt (although it will not be the playoff environment that everyone is accustomed too).
Caruso and James on the floor together were exceptional. They had a +20.5 net rating when sharing the floor. With James on the bench, Caruso was more effective running the show than Rondo was.
Lineups where Caruso was in the game while Rondo and James were on the bench saw a net rating of +3.5, while lineups where Rondo was in the game with Caruso and James on the bench saw a net rating of -3.6. Caruso is more than capable of taking over the point guard role in the second unit, while also seeing run with James and the first unit.
If it was not clear already, as far as I am concerned, Rondo does not belong on the offensive end of the floor for the Lakers in their quest to a championship. I do, however, understand that the Rondo stans around the world (if there even are any) flaunt over his ferocious defense he has been known for throughout his career.
While it must be acknowledged Rondo is a solid perimeter defender, his defense on the Lakers has been overrated. He still will happily take on the matchup of the opposing team’s best guard and get in his grill, but Rondo is 34 years old and is not the same level of defender he once was. Caruso has shown he is more than qualified in his 6-5 frame to chase guards around the perimeter. Rondo is not that valuable of a defender where it would be worth Vogel to play him in clutch time situations, given the liability he presents on the offensive end.
Some people may want to panic about the Lakers losing two solid defenders in Rondo and Bradley, but the Lakers defensive success is predicated more on daring the opposing team to attack the rim and meet the monstrosity that is the Lakers rim protection.