With the NBA Restart on the horizon, we are going to take stock of who is on the Los Angeles Lakers, what they did, or didn’t do this season, and what to look for as the Lakers look to march towards their 17th championship banner in the most unprecedented circumstances in NBA history. 

Rajon Rondo

Lakers fans haven’t exactly taken to Rajon Rondo. His style of play can be maddening to fans who want to see rapid ball movement around the perimeter and his defense, being that he’s 34, isn’t what it was early on in his career. His monopolization of the offense can be unnerving. But with the absence of Avery Bradley and the general lack of depth at the point guard position for the Lakers, the Lakers, and LeBron James are counting on the return of a Rondo they’ve always believed has been waiting for the right time to come to play: Playoff Rondo.

LeBron James posted on Tuesday that “Playoff Doe was on the way,” with an emoji that had a finger over his mouth, indicating nothing else on his end needed to be said. But to be clear, while Playoff Rondo has been written off by many a pundit as a myth, I’m here to tell you that there’s reason to believe in it.

In both the 2017 and 2018 playoffs, Rondo elevated his play both times. While his flame out with the Dallas Mavericks may have soured those who believe in him, his play with the Bulls and Pelicans leave plenty to believe. And I have actually also had the privilege of seeing Playoff Rondo first-hand.

When the 6th seeded Pelicans pulled off a sweep of the 3rd seeded Blazers in 2018, Rondo’s elevated level of play compared to the regular season was a huge reason why. Rondo averaged nearly a triple-double of 11 points, 7.5 rebounds and 13 assists per game in the sweep of Portland, and the fact that he will once again likely see time with Anthony Davis should give Lakers fans plenty of reason to believe he can be very useful in the postseason once again. Another thing that should give Lakers fans some hope is that they’ve excelled this season when Rondo and LeBron have shared the floor this season.

Rondo’s reluctance to shoot also fades away a little bit in the postseason. While his percentages in the regular season are better, Rondo always sees his scoring numbers go up in the postseason. Some of that is because teams dare him to shoot, but rather than muck up the offense, he generally obliges in the playoffs much more in the regular season. In his last postseason in 2018, he shot a career-best 42% from the 3-point line in 9 playoff games. While nobody should be expecting Rondo to shoot that well from the 3-point line in the postseason, he may prove more useful behind the arc than expected. It’s imperative that he is a threat because teams will sell out on Davis and James even more than they usually do in the playoffs.

Perhaps the biggest question of all is whether Rondo can stay healthy for the duration of the postseason. After a great two games with the Bulls against the No. 1-seeded Bulls where they took a stunning 2-0 series lead, he broke his hand and was done for the postseason. According to photos, he appears to have added quite a bit of muscle to his frame during the quarantine. If that helps him stay healthy throughout the postseason, the Lakers will have a serious asset for the playoff run. He also gives them someone who can get everyone in line in the event LeBron needs to rest, something James’ last Finals team, the 2018 Cavaliers, didn’t have.

Rondo’s game is as unconventional as they come and at this point in his career, the defense in the regular season hasn’t been up to snuff. But in the postseason, you can count on Rondo to be the fierce competitor that he’s always been, finding unorthodox ways to win and affect the game. I have no doubt that his defense will also ratchet up another level, as everyone does in the postseason. LeBron and the Lakers are counting on because they’ve seen it, not because they have blind faith. But as far as Lakers fans are concerned, it will likely take a postseason of seeing to believe just as strongly as their favorite team and best player do.

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