Los Angeles Lakers‘ veteran point guard Rajon Rondo suffered a fractured right thumb during Sunday night’s practice in Orlando, Florida. He will undergo surgery later this week.
Rajon Rondo Suffers Fractured Right Thumb During Practice
ESPN’s Malika Andrews and Dave McMenamin initially reported that the 2008 NBA Champion suffered a “significant” hand injury. The Lakers later revealed the severity of Rondo’s injury to ESPN’s Rachel Nichols. Rondo is expected to miss six to eight weeks.
The Lakers arrived in Orlando on Thursday night and stepped into the bubble for their first practice on Saturday.
As for Rondo, this is not the first injury he suffered this season. The Kentucky Wildcat was sidelined with a fractured finger in mid-January. He has also had his fair shares of injuries during his time as a Laker.
During the 2018-19 season, Rondo missed game action twice from surgeries to repair a torn ligament in his right ring finger and a fractured metacarpal in his right hand.
How Rajon Rondo’s Injury Impacts the Los Angeles Lakers
The veteran point guard has shown his struggles early on this season when he often turned the ball over in crucial, crunch time moments for Los Angeles. However, Rondo has significantly improved and averaged just under two turnovers per game this year.
Rondo is currently averaging 7.1 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds per game heading into the 2019-2020 season’s resumption. His impact may not pop out on paper, but it shows on the court, especially when he is on with LeBron James.
His veteran presence and high basketball IQ helps take the pressure off James to run the offense.
Numbers may not lie, but they also do not reveal the whole truth.
What’s Next for the Los Angeles Lakers
One of the most important puzzle pieces in basketball is having a solid and confident floor general, especially during the playoffs. With Avery Bradley opting out of the season’s restart, the Lakers are down two critical veteran guards. They may not be “stat padders,” but both guards play a huge role in the Lakers’ playbook.
Rondo’s locker room presence has helped groom younger guards such as Alex Caruso and Quinn Cook, who should see some more minutes. While the Lakers have shown success in the backcourt without Rondo, this has only been showcased during the regular season. Playoff basketball is at another level and Rondo’s injury will keep him sidelined until at least the end of the first round.
Los Angeles does have veterans J.R. Smith and Dion Waiters for more experience off the bench. It is a matter of time on how Rondo’s absence will affect the Lakers’ Finals push.
The Lakers restart the season against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday, July 30th at 6 pm PT.
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