The Los Angeles Lakers lost their second backcourt player in just a few weeks after point guard Rajon Rondo fractured his right thumb in practice on Sunday in Orlando.
Here’s a quote from the Twitter feed of Dave McMenamin, NBA reporter for ESPN.
“The Lakers say Rondo fractured his right thumb. He will undergo surgery and is expected to return to full basketball activities in six to eight weeks.”
That timeline should have him back for the conference finals (if the team makes it).
Rondo has appeared in 48 games this year. While he’s started in just three of them, he averaged over 20 minutes per game and is second on the team in 5.0 assists per game. LeBron James is the main distributor at 10.6 APG.
Last month, guard Avery Bradley said he would not return to play this season due to concerns relating to Covid-19. Veteran guard JR Smith was signed as a Bradley replacement and he’s a good fit as an outside shooter, plus he has lot of experience playing with James in Cleveland.
Lakers are still the favorite to win the NBA title
The Lakers are the +226 favorite to win the NBA title at Winning Poker Network sportsbooks. They were +225 before the Rondo news, so there’s basically no change at all.
The L.A. Clippers (+290), also out of the Western Conference, are now second in the title odds, followed by the Milwaukee Bucks (+295). The fourth team, the Houston Rockets, have a much-bigger payout at +953.
The Lakers will now rely on a lot of minutes from guard Alex Caruso. However, the 26-year-old doesn’t create off the dribble nearly as much as Rondo. I think Rondo will be missed a lot due to his significant playoff appearance and veteran leadership.
