Although the paper lineup seems quite luxurious, the chemistry and tacit understanding of the Lakers this season are really average, coupled with the tide of injuries and multiple players triggering health and safety agreements, have affected the Lakers' record and performance. In a battle with the Timberwolves, the Lakers can be said to have suffered consecutive blows, the away defeat is just that, and the inside general Anthony Davis also left the game due to injury, which is undoubtedly a big blow for the current Purple and Gold Army.
Originally, the Lakers received good news in this game, that is, veteran point guard Rajan Rondo finally announced his comeback after more than half a month of suspension. However, in this game, Rondo's performance is also difficult to say, and although Rondo has delivered 8 assists in the 22 minutes, this is also his only bright spot. Rondo shot 1-of-3 and only had 3 points and 5 rebounds, and there were two other stats that showed that Rondo's performance was really not good. One is that he made 4 turnovers, which means that Rondo had to make 1 mistake for every 2 assists, which is obviously not a good on-field commander, and such an assist failure is unimaginable than in Rondo's peak. On the other hand, Rondo had a full-game plus-minus of -19, the lowest of any player in both teams.
Rondo's career start is probably higher than most players. During the rookie contract period, Rondo played as a right-hand man around the Celtics Big Three, and reached the Finals twice with the team, including in the 07-08 season, Rondo also followed the Green Army to defeat the old enemy Lakers, winning the championship again after 22 years. Later, as the Big Three grew older, Rondo simply began to become the core player of the Celtics, winning many honors.
However, injuries, coupled with factors such as not being good at shooting, also restricted Rondo's development, and the 14-15 season became a turning point in his entire career. In the middle of the Dallas Mavericks sent Jamil Nelson, Jay Crowder and Brandon Wright, and exchanged Rondo and Dwight Powell from the Celtics. After completing the partnership, the Lone Ranger's paper lineup looks quite luxurious, but Rondo seems out of place within the team system, especially since he is very out of tune with his backcourt partner Monta Ellis. By the end of the season, Rondo simply had repeated frictions with head coach Carlisle, and in the playoffs, because of deliberately dragging time on the court and suspecting of negative games, the Lone Ranger simply abandoned Rondo in advance. It can be said that this cooperation, whether for the Lone Ranger or Rondo, is a lose-lose situation. The Lone Ranger's championship window is completely closed, and no one on Rondo's side sees him as an All-Star point guard.
After that, Rondo went around, and there were some famous scenes in every team. For example, during the Kings' time, he saw through the Hawks' last-offense tactics and arranged for Cousins to defend in the bottom corner, successfully destroying the opponent's offense; during the Bulls' time, he helped the team to force his old club Celtics into a desperate situation in the playoffs, if it were not for Rondo's later injury, the result would be really difficult to say; the Pelicans helped the team return to the playoffs despite Cousins' injury, and in the first round he and Holliday directly locked each other's backcourt double guns Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. The Pelicans also managed to sweep their opponents under the gram.
In the summer of 2018, Rondo came to the Lakers with James, and after the trough of the 18-19 season, with the return of LeBron James from injury, coupled with the arrival of Anthony Davis, the Lakers once again became the favorite to compete for the title. The team also cut through the thorns all the way, and finally won the championship after ten years. Rondo also played an important role during this period, his organizational and defensive abilities are still online, and the outside projection has improved significantly, and once the opponent dares to easily empty him, Rondo can respond.
However, after the Lakers won the championship, the market of many players has risen, and Rondo has also joined the Eagles as a free agent. Coming here, it is a mixed blessing for Rondo, although he got a more generous contract, but on the other hand, due to the presence of the Hawks with Trae Young, Rondo's playing time is very limited, so he averaged only 3.9 points, 2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in the first half of last season, which is the worst performance of his career. After moving to the Clippers in the second half, Rondo's stats improved, but during the playoffs, his position became marginalized again, and he was simply abandoned in the Western Conference Finals.
Rondo is back with the Lakers this summer, and fans fantasize that the Purple and Gold will rediscover the instruction manual for the former championship point guard. However, so far this season, Rondo has only averaged 3.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, and his shooting and three-point shooting rate are only about 30%, not to mention that as he grows older, Rondo's physical condition and attendance are much worse than before. Considering that he only takes the bottom salary in the Lakers, this investment will not lose money, but if you expect Rondo to play the savior, or if he can solve the fundamental problems of the Lakers after his comeback, it is a fool's dream.