3 big questions for the Cavs after nice start to Western road trip

Cavs big question No. 2: What should we expect from Rondo?

What we saw on Friday night in his first action was a good look into what he can provide this team.

He may not score 15 to 20 points like Ricky Rubio was doing regularly before he went down with his season-ending injury, but he does have that same understanding of the game that Rubio did, that he can help these young teammates of his to help them be in a better position to make plays. Friday night he was able to feed the big post players like Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, and Lauri Markkanen near the rim and gave them opportunities for easy baskets.

Rondo has played for a champion team when he was much younger as the point guard of the Boston Celtics back in 2008. With 16 years in the league, he’s played for several other teams and has been challenged to step into situations that might help less experienced teams.

Now with the Cavs, who are right on the cusp of being a legitimate playoff team for the next several years, Rondo has an opportunity to play a big role in keeping this team moving forward in the right direction.

His role will expand over this Western trip, but his 11 points, five boards, and knocking down a couple of three-pointers are all a good indication that he will be able to help immediately. The buy-in hopefully sticks looking forward with Rondo also, and it does appear to be there early on here, and should be with the way the team is playing.