The role that Rajon Rondo would have on this Los Angeles Lakers team has often been a flashpoint for fans and critics of the team. Rajon Rondo and LeBron James, for the times they played last year, didn’t work out all that well together as the Lakers were routinely outscored when they shared the floor.
But Frank Vogel isn’t all too worried about the bad plus-minus numbers from last year. Whenever Rondo is cleared to come back and play after dealing with a sore calf, Vogel believes he will be a 25-30 minute player for the Lakers.
In Vogel’s defense, if he plays Rondo with Anthony Davis, there are some encouraging data points for that duo.
Davis has gone on the record multiple times saying how much he loves playing with Rondo and values his perspective. And unlike his first season with LeBron, the Pelicans did quite well with Rondo and Davis sharing the court in 2017-18, outscoring their opponents by 4.1 points per 100 possessions on their way to a first round sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers, according to NBA.com.
The trick for Vogel and his coaching staff will be trying to maximize what Rondo can provide next to Anthony Davis while also making sure there’s not too much overlap between LeBron and Rondo.
