Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images The Los Angeles Lakers agreed to sign veteran point guard Rajon Rondo to a one-year, $9 million deal Monday, per Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. But Lonzo Ball isn't sweating his newfound competition at the position. According to Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times: "Rondo has been told it'll be an open competition at starting point guard. One source close to Ball tells me: 'Zo's not running from the competition.'" After being the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, Ball will be the front-runner to win the starting job over Rondo. The former UCLA star had an interesting rookie season, impressing with a stat line of 10.2 points, 7.2 assists and 6.9 rebounds per game. His shooting was a major disappointment, however, as Ball shot just 36.0 percent from the field, 30.5 percent from three and 45.1 percent from the charity stripe. Improving his jumper will be the key for Ball to fit seamlessly next to James. The rest of his game actually should work in conjunction with the NBA's best player. While Ball's tremendous vision and passing make him a dynamic playmaker on the break, his struggles beating opponents off the dribble have always made him less dynamic as a ball-dominant player in the half court. Instead, Ball works well in a motion offense, cutting to the basket or running around screens for open jumpers. It's easy to imagine Ball running the show in transition and James taking over in the half court, though Ball's shooting has to improve dramatically for the fit to truly work. Rondo, on the other hand, is a more traditionally ball-dominant point guard who can get penetration but has never had a quality jumper. Any question marks about his fit next to James are far more legitimate. It wouldn't be surprising if the 32-year-old was brought aboard to offer the team a veteran option off the bench to both mentor Ball and push him next season. Video Play Button Videos you might like The other possibility, of course, is that the Lakers are in the trade market for another star this offseason—Kawhi Leonard being the presumptive target—and could use Ball in the package to land that player. In that scenario, Rondo is a contingency plan for Ball. Ball may fend off Rondo for the starting job and receive the majority of the minutes at the point next season. But there remains a strong chance he's hooping for another team come the start of the regular season, too.<doc-sep>Rajon Rondo isn’t coming to Los Angeles to watch LeBron James play from afar. The veteran point guard expects to compete for a job as the Los Angeles Lakers starting point guard, USA TODAY’s Sam Amick reported Monday night, citing a person with knowledge of the situation. Lonzo Ball was thought to be the team’s point guard of the present and future, but the Lakers reportedly told Rondo the best point guard will earn the starting job because they want to win now. Rondo reportedly agreed to sign a one-year contract with the Lakers on Monday. The four-time All-Star and three-time NBA assist leader will follow JaVale McGee, Lance Stephenson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and, of course, James among the Lakers’ new recruits. Los Angeles selected Ball with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. He played 52 games during his rookie season, averaging 10.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 7.2 assists in 34.2 minutes per game. Ball’s fans might fear those numbers will dip and his development might stall following Rondo’s arrival from the New Orleans Pelicans. Hovewer, a source close to Ball told Amick the 20-year-old star won’t give up his job without a fight. ?We?re not running from competition,? the source said. The Lakers will open training camp in September, and the competition between Ball and Rondo undoubtedly will be fierce. Thumbnail photo via Derick E. Hingle/USA TODAY Sports Images<doc-sep>With LeBron James in the bag, the Los Angeles Lakers’ explosive NBA free-agent summer continued on Monday with what could be a wake-up call for Lonzo Ball. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Rajon Rondo will be joining the Purple and Gold on a one-year deal. Rondo is signing a one-year deal with Lakers, per source. https://t.co/wDG7BO7hLk — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2018 The four-time All-Star and three-time assist champ isn’t joining the Lakers just to take a seat on the bench, per Yahoo Sports’ Chris Mannix. Rondo is coming to training camp with plans to compete for a starting job, source told @YahooSportsNBA. — Chris Mannix (@ChrisMannixYS) July 2, 2018 Nor do the Purple and Gold expect him to. As ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne tweeted, the Lakers are “trying to win now” with LeBron onboard, and thus will give the job to the “best man.” Regarding Rondo and the Lakers, source says they told him that with LeBron here they’re trying to win now. Best man wins the job. — Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 2, 2018 Zo has no intentions of giving up his gig as the Lakers’ starting point guard. As a source told the Los Angeles Times’ Tania Ganguli, “Zo’s not running from the competition.” Rondo has been told it'll be an open competition at starting point guard. One source close to Lonzo Ball tells me: "Zo's not running from the competition." — Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) July 2, 2018 Are the Lakers merely testing Lonzo’s mettle by bringing in a seasoned champion and passing savant? Do they truly intend to start Rondo if the Crown Prince of Chino Hills stumbles in training camp? Is Rajon partly an insurance policy, in case Zo gets hurt—or gets traded? Could those two Rondo, for his part, can still play. This past season, he averaged 8.2 points and 8.3 assists in 63 regular-season games before leading all playoff performers in assists (12.2) during the New Orleans Pelicans’ run to the second round. (For what it’s worth, he also developed a particular distaste for Isaiah Thomas.) Lonzo is no slouch. As a rookie, he profiled much like a young Rondo: great passer, pesky defender, poor shooter. And though Zo’s torn meniscus is expected to be fine in time for training camp, Rondo’s arrival allows Ball to bide his time rehabbing to full health without the Lakers having to rush him back or lose games in his absence. Whatever the outcome, the competition figures to be one of the flash points of what could be a contentious camp. For all the moves the Lakers have made, they won’t know for sure how (or how well) all the pieces fit until everyone comes together in the fall.<doc-sep>
Lonzo Ball is a year removed from being the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA Draft. The former UCLA star played decently as a rookie and figured to be a big part of the Lakers’ plans moving forward. Is that still the case? The signing of LeBron James means that, basically, no one in Los Angeles is safe. The Lakers are going to do whatever they think it takes to build a championship contender under James. Will Lonzo be a part of that contender? We’ll see. For now, he appears to be in line for a major competition at the starting point guard spot. The Lakers have signed veteran point guard Rajon Rondo to a one-year deal. Rondo, 32, looked good on New Orleans last season and his new teammate, LeBron, is a big fan of his game, especially his basketball IQ. The veteran point guard has reportedly been told that there will be an open competition at point guard. How does Lonzo feel about this? He’s not afraid. “Zo’s not running from the competition,” a source close to Lonzo told Tania Ganguli. Rondo has been told it'll be an open competition at starting point guard. One source close to Lonzo Ball tells me: "Zo's not running from the competition." — Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) July 2, 2018 A competition at the point guard spot could be good for Lonzo. A veteran presence like Rondo could help the 2017 NBA Draft’s No. 2 overall pick develop. Or, maybe, it’ll make Lonzo expendable in a trade for Kawhi Leonard or someone else. Stay tuned.