On Sunday, Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo suffered a serious thumb injury that will now require surgery to repair.
On Monday, it was reported that the veteran point guard will leave the NBA’s bubble in Orlando, Fla. to undergo that surgery.
“Rondo will leave the bubble for his surgery, a Lakers spokesperson confirmed, and whenever he re-enters, he will have to quarantine again,” Bill Oram of The Athletic wrote. “If his timeline is closer to eight weeks, he could go six months between games. It’s reasonable to wonder how effective any player could be dropped into postseason action with those circumstances after that kind of layoff.”
Rondo has averaged 7.1 points, 5.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game this season. He is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks as a result of the injury.
His absence marks a major blow to the Lakers’ rotation, as Rondo has championship pedigree and has shown an ability to play his best basketball in the postseason throughout the years.
Rondo will likely be fully recovered before the season’s conclusion, but it stands to reason that he will require time to get back into game shape after he finishes rehabbing the injury.
For the NBA as a whole, Rondo’s injury and subsequent exit from the bubble could act as a precedent for any future injuries.
Surely, players who suffer minor injuries will remain in the bubble to avoid any need to quarantine once healthy. For players that sustain more serious injuries, an exit from the bubble could become likely.
As for the Lakers, it will be interesting to see what they do to try to fill the void Rondo’s injury has left.
While former NBA point guard Mario Chalmers has already thrown his hat into the ring, it is possible that the Lakers will opt to go with who they already have on their roster.
