Los Angeles Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo added to his playoff legend on Tuesday night, passing Kobe Bryant on an impressive career leaderboard.
Los Angeles point guard Rajon Rondo moved into ninth place on the career playoff assists leaderboard on Tuesday night, passing Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and adding to the mystique of “Playoff Rondo” with another strong performance.
While Rondo’s eight assists and three steals, combined with consistent defensive disruption, were not enough to lead the Lakers to a 3-0 series lead, the veteran guard has been a difference-maker off the bench for Los Angeles.
He was often the team’s third-best player during its second-round series against the Houston Rockets, and his brilliant passing and opportunistic shot-making have given the Lakers a much-needed boost. It is, therefore, no surprise to see the veteran climbing the ranks in playoff assists.
With Bulls legend Scottie Pippen now just a few assists above Rondo, the former Celtic should be expected to move even higher on this list before the end of the Western Conference Finals. If the Lakers reach the NBA Finals, Rondo likely has a chance to move as high as sixth place, with Hall-of-Famer Larry Bird just 20 assists ahead of him.
Rajon Rondo could be the Lakers’ X-factor as the Finals approach.
For a player who has averaged 7.6 assists per game in the postseason, continuing the climb up the leaderboard should not be an issue. Catching legends like Magic Johnson, John Stockton, and LeBron James may prove impossible, but Rondo appears positioned to keep building on his strong playoff resume as the Lakers pursue their 17th NBA title.
Rondo and the Lakers are back in action on Thursday night in Game 4, with a chance to go up 3-1 on a resilient Nuggets squad which has overcome that same deficit twice this postseason. While the Lakers remain the title favorites among the remaining teams, looking past Denver is a mistake that they cannot afford to make, a lesson that the cross-town Clippers learned the hard way.
Continued strong play from Rondo and the rest of the supporting cast could go a long way toward putting the Nuggets away, and the veteran point guard looks comfortable with his expanded postseason role.