Just as the Los Angeles Lakers were beginning to find continuity with their starting lineup and second unit, Rajon Rondo suffered a broken hand that required surgery. He had the operation Nov. 15 and was projected to be sidelined four to five weeks.
Rondo quickly reunited with the team, joining them on a November road trip and he’s been a staple on the bench since that point. He also remained active on the court by throwing left-handed passes to teammates in practice and pregame drills.
Rondo then advanced to dribbling and shooting with his right hand and recently returned to practice. That was followed shortly after by being cleared for contact progression ahead of the Lakers’ latest road trip.
While there have been encouraging signs of progress, Rondo is dealing with expected swelling and won’t return until it subsides, per Mike Trudell:
Walton said Rajon Rondo still has swelling in his hand, so he won’t play until that goes down. Original timeline from Nov. 15 was 4-5 weeks, and it’s Dec. 8.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) December 8, 2018
Based on the original timeline provided for Rondo, the earliest he would again be active is Thursday. The Lakers do have a game that night, as they face the Houston Rockets for the start of a road trip.
Rondo possibly returning that evening would add a layer of intrigue as it would be his first time playing against Chris Paul since the two got into a fight that led to suspensions for themselves and Brandon Ingram.
Coincidentally, Ingram was ruled out for the matchup due to a sprained left ankle. Having already missed two games, he’s due to be re-evaluated this weekend.