The historic victory of the Los Angeles Lakers over the Portland Trail Blazers came to cost the team of LeBron James dearly. As head coach Luke Walton confirmed after 126-117, Point Guard Rajon Rondo broke his throwing hand.
Rondo will visit a specialist on Thursday and then decide whether an operation needs to be performed, ESPN reports. A downtime of three to five weeks is expected for the Point Guard.
Rondo himself didn’t want to comment on the subject: “I’m not talking about that,” Rondo said to reporters on the way out of the Staples Center. Before the game against the Blazers, the 32-year-old averaged 9.3 points and 6.8 assists for the Lakers, mostly as a banker.
Walton praised Rondo for this role on Thursday: “He’s incredibly good at giving the second unit a rhythm,” Walton said. “This whole group relies heavily on his playmaking and leadership. We obviously don’t have another Rondo, so now everyone else has to step into the breach for him as well.”
Apart from Starting Point Guard Lonzo Ball, the Lakers don’t have a classic Point Guard in their roster anymore, Josh Hart and Lance Stephenson will probably perform even more as Second Unit playmakers now. Possibly the German rookie Isaac Bonga, who is currently playing for the South Bay Lakers in the G-League, could also get his first NBA minutes. Bonga has also injured her ankle slightly recently.