The Los Angeles Lakers face a tough choice between Lonzo Ball and Rajon Rondo, but it looks like they’ve decided who will be leading the charge moving forward
When LeBron James changed the NBA landscape by deciding to join the Los Angeles Lakers on a four year deal, that was pretty much the talk of the town for the following few months.
However, what people didn’t talk about as much was the Lakers point guard controversy between Lonzo Ball and Rajon Rondo entering the season, but a few weeks into this 2019 campaign it might be clear who should start.
Rajon Rondo decided to take his talents to Hollywood this past summer and despite being in the latter half of his career, can still perform at an effective level. Whether he was brought in by Magic Johnson to mentor to Lonzo Ball or to start over him, Rondo took his chance and had a productive preseason.
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Rondo had a strong game at Portland on TNT to open the season while Ball continued the inconsistency he showed in his rookie season.
Two nights later, Rondo got into an altercation with Rockets point guard Chris Paul and was suspended for three games.
Similarly to how Rondo took his chance with Ball recovering from an injury during the preseason, Ball capitalized in his starting role and helped lead the Lakers to their first wins of the season.
Ball shined in many aspects of the game during his rookie season hovering around seven assists and seven rebounds while playing solid defense. The one fallback was of course his shot, but it seems that it might not be a flaw in his game anymore. It’s still early, but 16-39 from 3 is a large sample size and equals out to 41 percent. His ability to read the floor with ease is still present and his active hands result in lots of trouble for the opponent.
Rondo isn’t exactly struggling for any reason, but his familiarity with his Laker teammates may not be up to Ball’s and his jumpshot isn’t as consistent. For Ball, lots of people still want to see him be more aggressive around the basket and finish with more confidence. So far, his ability to do that is improving. If Ball can find his rhythm around the basket where the defense has to be concerned about multiple parts to his game, look for him to become one of the best dual-threat guards in the NBA.
Plenty can still happen in this young NBA season. A player can get hurt, suspended or anything else to result in lack of minutes or game-time. That being said, the Lakers are 0-2 this season with Rondo leading the charge and 3-3 with Ball at point and it looks like head coach Luke Walton is sticking with the young guard.
Despite the controversy, both players still bring lots of talent and knowledge to the court and have the potential to be real game-changers come playoff time.