After a second hand surgery that kept him out 14 games this season, Rajon Rondo returned for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
While Rondo was clearly protecting his right hand throughout the game, he still recorded 15 points, 6 rebounds and a season-high 13 assists in 37 minutes.
As the 32-year-old was successful in helping the Lakers get ‘easier shots,’ his teammates could not convert with any sort of consistency. The Lakers lost their third consecutive game in large part because of committing 19 turnovers and giving up 22 offensive rebounds.
With the Lakers currently 25-24 and some uncertainty surrounding LeBron James’ return, Rondo emphasized the need to stick to head coach Luke Walton’s game plan. “Coaches doing a great job of giving us the keys to win,” he said. “We just gotta sustain it for 48 minutes.
“Give the team credit. We did a great job in Houston, but we just couldn’t do it in the second half of the game. Same thing with OKC. We did execute the game plan and we got a W. We gotta go back to the drawing board.”
Although the Lakers endured another loss, they should have Rondo moving forward. “It’s fine,” he said of his hand. “Adrenaline’s still going.”
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