For those Los Angeles Lakers fans out there who hated the sight of Luke Walton playing LeBron James and Rajon Rondo together, the statements from new head coach Frank Vogel on Thursday should be music to their ears.
Vogel was interviewed at the end of Thursday’s Lakers practice and said he’s planning to stagger LeBron’s and Rondo’s minutes, in addition to playing them together. While it shouldn’t necessarily be shocking that Vogel would make a smart decision on the surface, it shows there are actions behind his words when he said he would look at everything.
According to his video from Lakers Film Room, LeBron and Rondo each led their own squads against each other in the part of practice the media were allowed to see on Thursday.
Early last season, LeBron spoke of an almost Wonder Twins-like connection to Rondo due to their widely-lauded basketball IQs. However, the words were a lot more convincing than the play on the floor. Last season, the Lakers were outscored by 4.9 points per 100 possessions according to CleaningTheGlass. But with that said, injuries did limit their ability to add to sample size and they also were unable to play together in the postseason.
While guards Avery Bradley and Quinn Cook have minimal experience playing with LeBron, one player who did excel next to The King last season was Alex Caruso. In 10 games together in 2019-20, LeBron assisted on 10 of Caruso’s field goals, more than any other teammate. They registered a +9.5 net rating in their time together, according to CleaningTheGlass.
Meanwhile, Bradley has been the guard making the most headlines in the first week of training camp.
Perhaps more than anything, Vogel’s statements on Thursday indicate the Lakers guard rotation, and their rotation in general, is far from decided.
