Lakers Rumors: Coach Frank Vogel Hints At Plan To Replace Avery Bradley With Rajon Rondo In Starting Lineup
In the Los Angeles Lakers‘ first two games in the 2019-20 NBA season, Coach Frank Vogel used LeBron James, Anthony Davis, JaVale McGee, Danny Green, and Avery Bradley as his starters. Though that lineup failed to secure a victory against their Staples Center co-tenant and Western Conference rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers, it helped them obtain their first win against the Utah Jazz in the following game. However, with plenty of players still on the sideline due to injury, Vogel revealed that he’s not done yet in experimenting with his rotations.
As the season goes on, Vogel will have more insight regarding the players who complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the only two guys who have secured spots in the Lakers’ starting lineup. Aside from Kyle Kuzma, who is widely considered the Lakers’ third-best player, Vogel hinted at the possibility that Rajon Rondo could replace Avery Bradley in the starting lineup when he recovers from an injury.
“I’ve given it a lot of thought and I think he’ll be in the starting lineup a lot,” Vogel said about Rondo, as quoted by Lakers Nation. “I think there’s potentially two ways we can go with that position. Sometimes bringing Avery off the bench and sometimes bringing Rondo off the bench in terms of that position. A lot of it can be dictated by matchups and the flow of our team and stuff like that. But I definitely envision a lot of games where he will be the starting point guard.”
Though LeBron James is currently playing as their starting point guard, Vogel believes that they still need a second ball handler inside who can initiate the offense. However, though Rajon Rondo is capable of taking that role, there is still some questions regarding his fit alongside James, especially with his capability to excel in an off-ball capacity and efficiently knock down shots from beyond the arc.
Vogel admitted that normally, it would be a major concern for him to surround LeBron James with a guy who wasn’t a three-point shooter. However, the coach thinks that Rajon Rondo’s case is different. Vogel expressed confidence that Rondo can effectively run the floor with James, even if opposing teams don’t consider him as a big threat in the three-point range.
Rajon Rondo shared the same sentiment as Vogel, saying that including him in the starting lineup will enable them “to get ‘Bron out on the break.” Once he gets the ball and lets LeBron James run in the wing, Rondo believes that nobody in the league could stop him on the offensive end of the floor.
