Rajon Rondo’s impact on Lakers cannot be understated

Rajon Rondo sparked the Los Angeles Lakers last night. 

The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t look like themselves in Game 1 of their series against Daryl Morey’s Houston Rockets, and they needed an unlikely hero to rise to the occasion in Game 2. Rajon Rondo might not be the best shooter in the world, but his ability to create on offense with brilliant distribution helped the Lakers catch fire last night.

In LA’s Game 2 victory, the Lakers made 11 of their 15 shots in which Rondo passed them the ball, totaling 28 points in a convincing win. LeBron James and Anthony Davis once again led the lakers in terms of scoring, but the former Celtics star’s masterful passing helped Markieff Morris and Kyle Kuzma combine for 29 points off of the bench.

Rajon Rondo was electric last night for the Lakers

Rondo’s stats (7.1 points, 5.0 assists per game) look ordinary, but he provides a nice counterbalance to a Lakers team full of shooters. Rondo was +28 in 29 minutes, which is much better than the -10 put up by the struggling Danny Green and the -8 that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope managed yesterday.

As tempting as it is to see James bullrush to the rim and Davis going to town inside, Rondo running the point and handling most of the distribution has clearly been effective against the Rockets, and leaning into that strategy could help the Lakers topple James Harden and advance to the Western Conference Finals.

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James and Davis are a dynamic duo attacking the much smaller Rockets team, but Frank Vogel needs to have enough awareness to put Rondo out on the floor more frequently in this series. It’s rare for a 34-year-old point guard with a bad jump shot to decide a playoff series, but that’s the situation LA has on their hands right now.