Rajon Rondo rejoined the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason after spending last season between the Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Clippers.
This led to some questions regarding how he’d do teaming up with Russell Westbrook, whom L.A. had acquired over the summer.
Rondo and Westbrook played a central role in some memorable run-ins over the past few years.
Among the standout memories: Rondo’s brother getting the boot from Game 5 of the 2020 second-round showdown between the Lakers and Houston Rockets for heckling Westbrook and calling him “trash.”
Then this past season, in a game between the Hawks and Washington Wizards, Westbrook got ejected for shoving Rondo too hard on a rebound after they sparred verbally the entire night.
So, there’s some history there. Where does the pair currently stand?
This week, Rondo offered a surprising analysis of his rival-turned-teammate.
“He’s a funny guy,” Rondo said, per Ryan Ward of Lakers Nation. “We have a lot of things in common.”
Often times the biggest rivals have a lot of similarities. That appears to be the case in this particular situation as well.
Now that Rondo and Westbrook are on the same page, all parties involved can focus on getting the latter acclimated to the Lakers. So far, it has been a struggle. Over the course of his first three games as a member of the Purple and Gold, Westbrook has recorded 20 turnovers in limited minutes.
It has gotten to the point where everyone from Anthony Davis to head coach Frank Vogel has had to come out and speak on the subject.
Even Westbrook himself has offered a terse four-word response on the matter.
Hopefully now that Rondo and Westbrook are on good terms, the former can help the latter get adjusted. Because if that doesn’t happen, the Lakers could be in trouble this season.
More must-reads: