For an already thin Lakers backcourt, another bad break is tough to swallow.
The Lakers announced that Rajon Rondo suffered a fractured right thumb during a Sunday evening practice at Disney World, the second organized practice for the Lakers following their quarantine protocols.
He is slated to undergo surgery this week, and the team estimates he could miss six to eight weeks before returning to basketball activities, meaning he will miss at minimum all eight of the Lakers’ seeding games and likely at least one round of the playoffs. ESPN was first to report the injury.
Losing the four-time All-Star is another challenging hurdle for a team that is already without starter Avery Bradley, who elected to sit out last month. While Rondo was a bit player this season for the Lakers — averaging just 20 minutes, 7 points and 5 assists per game — he’s one of the most experienced guards on the roster and stood to gain more minutes in the restart. The Lakers already figure to slot Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in at a starting role for Bradley.
LeBron James is typically the point guard for the Lakers’ main rotation, but the team has tried to use Rondo to give James relief from ball-handling responsibilities over the last two seasons.
The Lakers could turn more to Alex Caruso, who was already expected to see a boost with Bradley’s absence as one of the team’s steadier defenders and ballhandlers. Guard Quinn Cook has only played in 38 games this season (4.8 ppg) but has postseason experience with the Golden State Warriors in their last two Finals runs.
The Lakers also are working to integrate new backcourt pieces, including former Heat guard Dion Waiters and Cleveland swingman J.R. Smith. Waiter’s skillset as a scorer and creator off the dribble could help pick up some of the ball-handling slack.
Rondo has a history of hand injuries: Last season, he missed 36 games largely due to a right hand fracture followed by a severe sprain in the same hand. He also missed the better part of a 2016 postseason appearance with the Chicago Bulls with a hand injury.
While his statistical contributions have declined for the last few years from his glory days in Boston, Rondo has been considered a key leader in the locker room his two seasons as a Laker. Rondo himself had fanned talk that he was entering the restart in excellent shape, releasing a video of him boxing to his Instagram earlier this week.
The Lakers officially begin the restart on July 30 against the Clippers.
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July 13, 2020 at 11:50AM
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Lakers’ Rajon Rondo fractures right thumb, could miss six to eight weeks after surgery - OCRegister
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