Rajon Rondo is back with the Los Angeles Lakers after not repping the purple and gold for a year, and he will team with new faces this time.
The Lakers overhauled the roster this offseason, which was likely going to be the case since the team had over 10 free agents entering the market.
After trading for Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles had to sign numerous veterans to one-year minimum deals to make the cap work, so many faces, both old and new, are here for the new season.
Rondo is one of those familiar faces returning to the franchise, and he has played with several of the additions before.
During his introductory conference, the 35-year-old guard revealed who he’s looking forward to playing with that he hasn’t teamed up with in the past.
“Carmelo (Anthony), obviously Russ (Westbrook), I just talked to Trev (Ariza),” Rondo said. “I’m looking forward to talking to Trev, learning his mind and his focus. Trev beat me a couple years back in the ’10 finals, so we had a lot of great battles.”
Rondo, who has had a beef with Westbrook in previous years, continued about letting bygones be bygones and focus on title No. 18.
“A lot of these guys are now teammates, I’m looking forward to putting everything in the past and putting it together for the greater good of the team and win a championship here,” Rondo said.
Rondo is projected to be the third point guard on the depth chart behind Westbrook and Kendrick Nunn. However, his familiarity with LeBron James and Anthony Davis and his relationship with head coach Frank Vogel could see him receive more minutes throughout the course of the season.
Rondo may not be a sharpshooting perimeter threat, but he knows how to facilitate an offense and set his teammates up for easy looks, which is a key skill to have at any moment.