The saga of Rajon Rondo’s return from a calf injury has taken another interesting turn on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after Rondo himself alluded to the similarities between his injury and the one that led to Kevin Durant’s torn Achilles in the NBA Finals earlier this year.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel told reporters gathered at the team’s shoot around on Tuesday morning that he was “hopeful” Rondo will make his season debut against the Phoenix Suns later this evening. Rondo has missed the first nine games of the regular season and hasn’t played in a game since the Lakers left China in mid-October.
From Dave McMenamin of ESPN
Frank Vogel says he’s hopeful Rajon Rondo makes his season debut in Phoenix tonight.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 12, 2019
Vogel’s hopes aside, Rondo is still considered questionable for the game but if he is back that could help the Lakers and LeBron James. Rondo could also potentially give James a break when it comes to running the show alongside Anthony Davis.
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.
Adding another playmaker to the mix, even though LeBron leads the NBA in assists, will be good for the Lakers long-term, especially if Rondo’s New Orleans success with Davis is replicated in L.A.