Rajon Rondo #9 of the Los Angeles Lakers talks with teammates during the game on March 10, 2020 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California.
The Los Angeles Lakers have reinforcements on the way…sort of.
According to Lakers head coach Frank Vogel, injured point guard Rajon Rondo is expected to travel to Florida on Wednesday, where he will continue his rehab before re-entering the bubble at a later date.
"He's definitely going to come back into the bubble very soon," said Vogel after practice on Tuesday. "I'm not sure the exact details of it, but I think he's making his way to Florida tomorrow and will spend a certain period of time outside the bubble before he's reintegrated inside of the bubble,"
Rondo initially suffered a fractured right thumb during one of the team's early practices after entering the bubble and undergoing a 48-hour quarantine.
After the injury, Rondo left the bubble to undergo surgery and is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks. Rondo is currently just a little over two weeks removed from the injury, and will likely miss the entirety of the eight seeding games, and the first round of the NBA Playoffs, which are scheduled to begin on Aug. 17.
If all goes well for Rondo and the Lakers, the 14-year veteran point guard could return for the second round or the Western Conference Finals, should the Lakers advance that far.
Before the injury, Rondo was averaging 7.1 points and five assists per game off the bench this season.
In his absence, the Lakers are 2-1 inside the bubble, and have clinched the No. 1 overall seed in the Western Conference. Rondo's minutes on the court have been replaced by Alex Caruso and newcomer Dion Waiters.
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The Lakers next take the court on Wednesday night at 3:30 PM PT against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
