After extreme makeover, predictions for the Los Angeles Lakers
5. Rajon Rondo will start the most games at point guard
Deciphering the starting lineup for the Los Angeles Lakers is probably easier than it looks. Who this team’s best starting lineup would be is difficult to parse, but largely irrelevant. Head coach Frank Vogel is likely going to stay conservative, starting his veterans and leaving the creativity for later in games.
That means Rajon Rondo will start at point guard assuming he is available to play. Last year he started 29 of his 46 games, missing 36 games due to a combination of injury, suspension and “#tanking” in his first season with the team.
More from Los Angeles Lakers
- NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers
- A surprise LeBron ranking should raise alarm bells for the Lakers
- Surprising Austin Reaves contract detail confirms Lakers got him for a steal
- Instant Grades for the Lakers’ unprecedented Anthony Davis extension
- Report: Lakers have big plans for recent top-10 pick amid roster shakeup
The Los Angeles Lakers would be best served playing LeBron James at point guard, as he is one of the best creators in his league and playing him alongside Rondo renders one of them largely redundant. The collection of wings this team brought together — Avery Bradley, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Danny Green — can all guard point guards, allowing the team to shuffle defensive assignments were James to start at the point.
James will want to chart the easier path and Vogel will want to chart a more conservative rotation and starting lineup. That allows Rondo the path to starting, especially since despite his other issues he is still a capable ball-handler and ball-mover, perhaps the second-best on the team behind James.
Alex Caruso is younger, more athletic and offers more upside than Rondo, while Quinn Cook is by far a more capable shooter and never afraid of the moment. Either would be a more risky decision to start and both will see increased playing time when Rondo is invariably out for one reason or the other.
Even so, installing one as the full-time starter would be a likely upgrade on Rondo, who at this point in his career has seen his weaknesses grow worse and his strengths more muted. That’s not what one wants to hear about a starter on a title contender.