When it comes to players on the Los Angeles Lakers playing together this season, the first pair that comes to mind is LeBron James and Anthony Davis. But Davis has another playmaker on the Lakers that he’s mentioned several times throughout the offseason as someone who excites him: Lakers point veteran point guard Rajon Rondo.
Davis reached the highest highs of his NBA career so far alongside Rondo, sweeping the Portland Trail Blazers as the 6th seed in the 2018 playoffs and getting to the second round where they were eventually dispatched by the Golden State Warriors. According to Davis, Rondo knows exactly where his sweet spots are.
“I’ve got Rondo back as my point guard — he’s a guy I can count on to get the ball in my sweet spot.”
Rondo isn’t the same player he was during his Boston peak years but he still knows how to exploit the defense and is good at controlling the offense with a steady hand. The Lakers signed Rondo to a two-year deal at the minimum, which is a good value especially when you consider that Davis enjoys playing with him.
Rondo has also established himself as a strong locker room presence over the later half of his career as many accounts of last year’s Lakers team saw Rondo as the team’s veteran leader. He could also be in position to be a bridge between the stars to the rest of the team. While Rondo’s detractors are loud, it’s clear that his purpose on this Lakers team is bigger than on-court net-rating or x’s and o’s.
