On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Lakers lost point guard Rajon Rondo to a broken hand suffered on a steal attempt in the team’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
On Thursday, the Lakers announced that Rondo will require surgery to repair the broken third metacarpal in his right hand. He is expected to have the procedure on Friday.
“It will be a work in progress,” head coach Luke Walton said of adjusting to the loss. “Obviously we can’t replace what Rondo does for our team and how important he is to our team.
“Guys are gonna pick up the slack and add to their responsibility. As a group, we’ll do our best to continue to play the way we’ve started to play.”
Walton told reporters Wednesday that Rondo would “be out a few weeks.”
Rondo is the primary backup to Lonzo Ball and the only other true point guard on the roster, leaving the Lakers looking to a team effort to fill Rondo’s void. Walton noted LeBron James’ and Lance Stephenson’s abilities to play point guard, but said that third-year small forward Brandon Ingram will handle much of the duties in Rondo’s absence.
“We have multiple guys we’re comfortable with,” Walton said. “BI will definitely be one of those main guys doing that.”
The injury comes at a tough time for the Lakers, who have hit a groove winning four straight and six out of seven to improve to 8-6 after a disappointing start to the season.
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