The morning after breaking his right hand, Rajon Rondo was at the Los Angeles Lakers’ practice facility barking out insights and instructions to his teammates.

As usual.

“He was talking. Surprise, surprise,” Lakers coach Luke Walton said with a smile. “He was talking a lot.”nike nfl cheap jerseys

With his hand swelling through its splint, Rondo directed Brandon Ingram and players on the second-unit through sets in preparation for their next game at the Orlando Magic.

Rondo lobbied Walton again to be a part of the team’s upcoming three-game road trip and then he was gone, off to Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute to have Dr. Steven S. Shin repair the third metacarpal in his right hand.
LeBron James’ voice is without question the most important and influential in the Lakers’ locker room; but several of the younger players view Rondo’s leadership as second, if not on par, to that of James.nfl nike jerseys cheap china

While some coaches and execs told ESPN over the summer that Rondo could be a pain for the Lakers, the point guard has been a coach on the floor and mentor to the young core for Walton.

Given the freedom to be himself, Rajon Rondo has been … Rajon Rondo. The Lakers have seen the acclaimed basketball IQ. They’ve also seen his unpredictability, his fire manifesting in a flurry of punches in his first game in Staples, resulting in a three-game suspension after the NBA ruled he had spit at Chris Paul.

But his biggest — and now primary — impact will be on the development of the “Baby Lakers.” Rondo has been trying to influence Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart by example and instruction. And with the sidelining of the veteran point guard for at least four weeks, that balance will tilt entirely toward instruction.