Ten years ago or so, Rajon Rondo was considered one of the best point guards in the NBA. He was an elite playmaker that could play lockdown defense and had a feel for making huge plays in the clutch and the playoffs. That's no longer the case, and the Los Angeles Lakers saw it firsthand in their meltdown loss to the Houston Rockets.
Rondo hadn't been able to play since the restart of the season. He was out at first with a fractured thumb and later hurt his back. With the Lakers in control of the series vs. the Portland Trail Blazers, there was just no need to rush him back.
Thing is, even when healthy, Rondo has been far from helpful for Frank Vogel's team. He's a non-factor in the defensive end right now, he's lost his first step, and his poor shooting creates even more of a spacing nightmare for the Lakers.
Anthony Davis made a case for him after his terrible performance vs. the Rockets (-10 in 24 mins) claiming that he still needs more time to get his legs under him but it seems like he's just not a good fit or should even be in the NBA anymore:
“He’s trying to make plays for others, be in attack mode. So it gives Bron, it gives him a break with Rondo on the floor, let Bron kind of be that guy who can catch it and work on attacking. And Rondo’s able to get into the paint and make plays in response, so it’s beneficial to us to have him on the floor. But it’s just getting him back, acclimated to the team, and get his conditioning back to where it is," Davis said.
NBA Twitter Destroys Rajon Rondo In His Return With The Lakers
NBA fans on social media weren't as understanding as Davis. In fact, Rajon Rondo quickly became a Trending Topic on Twitter for his poor performance last night, with people just begging Frank Vogel to not play him anymore.
The Lakers are now 0-1 despite being heavily favored to win this series but it's still way too early to panic. They also dropped the first game to the Blazers before winning 4 in a row. But with Rondo playing that way, it may be an uphill battle.
