Los Angeles Lakers Player Spotlight: Rajon Rondo

The next player that will be covered in the ” Los Angeles Lakers Player Spotlight” series is Rajon Rondo.

Rajon Rondo biography

Rajon Rondo spent his college career at the University of Kentucky. In his two years with the Wildcats, Rondo was a primary scorer and defender while also implementing playmaking into his game. Even in college, Rajon played the role of a pure point guard who got his teammates involved.

He averaged 11.2 points, 4.9 assists, 2 steals, and most impressively 6.1 rebounds a game in his last season with Kentucky. The Phoenix Suns drafted Rondo 21st overall in the 2006 NBA draft. However, they traded him to the Boston Celtics in a draft-day trade.

He spent nine seasons and the prime of his career with the Celtics. In this run, he was a part of one championship and participated in four all-star games. In this span, Rondo established himself as one of the best defensive pure point guards in the league. He was a secondary scorer and a primary passer while being a pest on the defensive side of the ball.

In the 2014 season, the Celtics traded him to the Mavericks where he would only spend one season. After this year, he would sign with the Sacramento Kings to pair up with a prime Demarcus Cousins. They quickly became one of the best and most polarizing duos in the league.

However, after only one season Rondo packed up and signed with the Chicago Bulls to team up with Dwayne Wade and Jimmy Butler. This created for a volatile locker room and Rajon was waived by the team after the season.

He then signed with the Pelicans to play with Anthony Davis and eventually Demarcus Cousins. After only one season with the Pelicans, Rondo found a home with the Los Angeles Lakers, a team he was in a heated rivalry with during his time with the Celtics.

Rajon Rondo’s strengths and weaknesses

The two main strengths of Rondo’s game are his playmaking and defensive ability. Throughout his career, he has averaged 8.3 assists a game and has become known as one of the best passers of all time. Along with this, Rondo has been a player that can clamp up the opposing teams best ball handler for a majority of his career.

However, as he has aged, he has lost a step and has led him to begin to slack defensively. This is something that we could see improvement as the playoffs come as Rondo is known for stepping up his intensity when it matters.

The core weakness of his game is his lack of shooting. While this has improved over the past two years, over the majority of his career, Rondo has been a liability from behind the three-point line. On top of this, at times Rondo will refuse open shots even if it is the best option.

What Rajon Rondo brings to the Los Angeles Lakers

At this point in his career, Rondo would make for a better court side coach for the Lakers in the regular season. He often shows a lack of effort or is just a step behind the competition athletically. However, when he is on a hot streak, Rondo can turn back the clock and be a floor manager and an amazing playmaker.

This is something that the Lakers desperately need when LeBron is not on the court. On top of this, he has greatly improved his outside shooting which is a skill that any role player on the Lakers needs.

While his minutes would arguably be better suited being given to a younger player like Alex Caruso, once the playoffs come around we may be seeing a new Rajon Rondo. As it is clear he is motivated to win another championship before he retires.