There were very few — if any — positives to take away for the Los Angeles Lakers following Friday night's disappointing Game 1 defeat to the Houston Rockets. One of which, according to at least Lakers superstar Anthony Davis, is that it was good to have Rajon Rondo back in the squad.
This was Rondo's first game back since March after the veteran point guard was sidelined by back and thumb injuries prior to the restart, and in the mind of Davis, the mere fact that they have him back is already a win for LA:
“Good for us because it kind of gives Bron a break,” Davis said, via ESPN's Dave McMenamin. “He's trying to make plays for others, be in attack mode. So it gives Bron, it gives him a break with Rondo on the floor, let Bron kind of be that guy who can catch it and work on attacking. And Rondo's able to get into the paint and make plays in response, so it's beneficial to us to have him on the floor.
“But it's just getting him back, acclimated to the team, and get his conditioning back to where it is.”
Rondo did not exactly have an outstanding game in his return but he also wasn't bad. The 34-year-old finished with eight points, three rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block in 25 minutes of play. The former NBA champ understandably showed some rust, and he will likely need a game or two to get back to full speed.
The Lakers need all the help they can get at this point, with the Rockets proving on Friday that they are more than capable of pulling off an upset against a heavily-favored LA side.
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