The Los Angeles Lakers are already missing the biggest NBA star on the planet, and now they’ll have to get along without another veteran presence on the floor. Guard Rajon Rondo will be out of commission for the Lake Show with a hand injury, and initial reports indicate that surgery will be required for the 32-year-old point guard.
Rondo missed Thursday’s game with what as termed as a sprained right ring finger, which he suffered in a win over the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day. Lakers coach Luke Walton had said on Thursday that Rondo’s status would come down to “pain tolerance,” but after missing Thursday’s game, it seems the guard has had second thoughts about the best course of action.
“It all depends on how he can handle that pain,” Walton said according to ESPN. “So we’re kind of just taking it day by day right now to see where he wants to go with it, see how bad that hand is hurting. But he could be out for a while or he could be out for a couple days. It all just depends.”
Sources on @TheAthleticNBA @WatchStadium: Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo is expected to undergo surgery on his injured right hand and miss one month.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 28, 2018
That no longer appears to be the case, as The Athletic’s Shams Charinia reported on Friday that Rondo elected to have hand surgery to fix the issue and would be sidelined for a month. That’s a significantly longer period than James is expected to miss with his groin injury, but it does continue to extend the vacuum of veteran presence on the floor for the Lakers.
