The Los Angeles Lakers have a new issue in the backcourt with the team losing veteran Rajon Rondo to a hand injury that will require surgery. Rondo will miss six to eight weeks as he recovers from surgery and may not be seen until some time in the playoffs or not at all, depending on the recovery process.
As the Lakers adjust to another significant loss in the backcourt, the team's primary concern in the backcourt moving forward is having someone other than LeBron James handle the ball. Although Quinn Cook and Alex Caruso will likely get that opportunity, head coach Frank Vogel is curious to see what newcomer Dion Waiters can do as he told the media ahead of practice on Monday.
“I also like the prospects of seeing what Dion Waiters can do,” Vogel said. “Losing Rondo puts more of a need on Dion's skillset. I look forward to seeing what he can do more as we get into games, but all of those guys will pick up the slack.”
Although Waiters signed with the team before the NBA season was suspended in March, he still hadn't made his Lakers debut and will be learning the system in the same way as fellow newcomer, JR Smith.
Along with learning a new system, Waiters could see his role expanded once games get underway in the NBA bubble due to his ball-handling ability. Vogel seems intent on seeing what he's got in Waiters and whether the former Miami Heat star can be a valuable asset for this title-contending squad in Orlando.
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