Rajon Rondo will not be in the mix for the New Orleans Pelicans when they start the season. The point guard had surgery early this week and will miss at least a month.
Rondo had sports hernia surgery and is expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks of the new season, a significant loss for a team that had big plans for the 31-year-old point.
The Vertical’s Shams Charania reported on the surgery and subsequent loss for the Pelicans on Tuesday morning.
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/917740783314374656
Rondo was waived by the Bulls this offseason as part of their rebuild. He was then reunited with fellow former Sacramento King Demarcus Cousins in July when he signed a 1-year deal.
The bummer here is that Rondo seemed especially excited about a fresh start in New Orleans, and now that start will be delayed. IT also leaves the Pelicans very thin at point guard, with just Jrue Holiday and Frank Jackson listed on the roster as true point guards. Holiday is capable of starting, but not having Rondo around for a while means the Pelicans might have to get a bit creative to start the season.
Cousins and Anthony Davis will undoubtedly be the focal point of the Pelicans this season, but Rondo was supposed to be a valuable X-factor for the team hoping to make a move back into the postseason with a full year of Boogie on the team. His familiarity with Rondo was supposed to be a boon for them. Now it’s a missing piece to start what could be a tough road ahead for the Pels.
