1. Rajon Rondo
It is hard to see Rajon Rondo keeping his place in the rotation once Kendrick Nunn comes back. Nunn is the backup point guard of this team and quite frankly, fits on this team much better than Rondo does in 2021.
In previous years a player like Rondo had a lot of value as the Lakers needed a second ball-handler who could take some of the workload off of LeBron James. With Russell Westbrook now in town, the Lakers do not really need that and Westbrook can’t really play next to someone like Rondo effectively.
Nunn can as he is an off-ball scorer that can provide a catch-and-shoot outlet for both LeBron and Westbrook as well as having the ability to create his own shot when needed. Rondo is currently averaging 17.5 minutes per game and Nunn should probably be playing around 20.
Reaves is not a point guard but there are lineup possibilities with both Westbrook and LeBron on the bench. In that case, the Lakers could have played Rondo next to Nunn and while it would not have happened often, it would have kept Rondo in the rotation.
With Reaves playing well, the team can simply run Nunn and Reaves together at times with Reaves also getting minutes with the closing lineup as well.
But hey, maybe it will keep Rondo fresh so playoff Rondo can return.