The Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat are set to meet in the 2020 NBA Finals. There will be several All-Stars playing in the series, including LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. However, it's Rajon Rondo who will be the X-factor for the Lakers.
Rondo joined the Lakers in 2018 and then re-signed last offseason. It has been a bumpy ride for the point guard, but the 34-year-old veteran has become one of the more important pieces of the team's bench rotation in these playoffs. In fact, Rondo is often the floor general when LeBron takes a seat for rest.
Rondo, who's making his third Finals appearance, missed the first portion of the Lakers' bubble campaign in Florida due to a thumb injury and then dealt with back spasms, but he has since recovered. After rejoining his teammates, the former Kentucky Wildcat went straight into “Playoff Rondo” mode, which is something Davis has seen before.
Rondo missed the first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers, but he played a key role in the next two five-game series victories over the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets, respectively. The point guard has put on a show in several games, dishing out no-look passes, hitting layups high off the glass and playing swarming defense. Notably, he recently passed Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen for the eighth spot on the NBA's all-time playoff assist leaderboard:
Congrats to @RajonRondo of the @Lakers for moving up to 8th on the all-time #NBAPlayoffs ASSISTS list! pic.twitter.com/uz68uyJc36
— NBA (@NBA) September 25, 2020
The 3-point line has also been friendly to Rondo in the playoffs. In 10 postseason appearances this year, the former Kentucky Wildcat has racked up averages of 9.1 points on 50.0 percent shooting from the field (an impressive 44.8 percent from beyond the arc), 7.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 24.0 minutes per outing. The 14-year veteran averaged 7.6 points, 7.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds in the Western Conference Finals.
LeBron and AD will be leading the charge for the Lakers in the Finals, but it will be Rondo dishing the rock to them, especially in the second half of games. Beyond sheer stats, though, the veteran point guard has become one of the motivational leaders of the team. If one of his teammates hits a big shot or makes nice play, he's one of the first to rise from his seat on the bench in celebration.
Davis appreciates the leadership:
“Rondo is always in my ear about being the best defensive player on the floor, best offensive player on the floor, even when it doesn’t seem possible,” Lakers All-Star Anthony Davis said after Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, via The Los Angeles Times.
Rondo and the Lakers are being viewed as a favorite in this series by most oddsmakers. As of Monday, Los Angeles was a -350 favorite, while Miami was listed at +280. LeBron James is the current favorite to win his fourth Finals MVP.
Game 1 of the 2020 NBA Finals is set to tip at 9:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday night, with ABC having live broadcast coverage. Let's see if “Playoff Rondo” is still in full effect in these Finals against former teammate Jimmy Butler and the Heat.
Follow Us
Subscribe