Lakers Rumors: Rajon Rondo Plans to Make Season Debut Sunday vs. Raptors

After missing the Los Angeles Lakers’ first eight games, Rajon Rondo will look to make his 2019-20 season debut against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, according to a report from Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

Rondo is purportedly getting ready for the matchup with the Raptors by participating in one more workout session.

“The 13-year veteran is expected to go through a final workout at the team’s practice facility on Saturday in preparation for his return, sources said,” Haynes wrote.

Coach Frank Vogel said previously that he plans to let Rondo start in place of Avery Bradley, who has done a terrific job manning one of the team’s starting backcourt positions. Whether that plan is executed this Sunday against the 2019 NBA champions or not remains to be seen.

Once Rondo is given the go signal, it will give LeBron James, the team’s incumbent starting point guard, a breather from orchestrating the offense at the beginning of games. But with the Lakers on a roll since their loss in the season opener to the Los Angeles Clippers, inserting the four-time All-Star prematurely could prove to be disastrous for a team that’s on a seven-game winning streak.

Once Rondo returns, however, the Lakers will have their entire roster available to play in a game for the first time this season.

Forward Kyle Kuzma returned to the lineup last week, and though he has struggled to put the ball in the basket since coming back from an injury, he remains one of the team’s key players off the bench.