Rajon Rondo is close to return for Cavs, which can be bench lift

As Cleveland Cavaliers fans can attest to, the team has had a number of injuries throughout the season.

The likes of Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio have been lost for the season because of injuries, and there’s been a number of others that have missed time. Similarly to other teams, Cleveland has endured a number of COVID-19 health and safety protocols absences, too.

In relation to the backcourt, though, it was apparent that Cleveland needed to address their backcourt point guard situation and shortly following Rubio’s injury, they did so. The Cavs acquired Rajon Rondo via trade from the Los Angeles Lakers, which for not much value conceded, if at all, was a sensible move.

Though Rondo has bounced around in recent seasons, he still can help from a reserve playmaking perspective, and he’s still a guy that can always get a variety of players involved.

In his first three games with Cleveland, Rondo did do a quality job as well, and his veteran leadership on the floor showed from the getgo in wins at the Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings. He was a bright spot in the Cavaliers’ underwhelming performance in a loss at the Golden State Warriors, too.

Unfortunately, Rondo, who will turn 36 next month, has been out since the Sacramento game due to hamstring soreness. That’s somewhat concerning, admittedly, as a still capable vet, he can ease burden on Darius Garland, to some extent.

On a positive note, though, Brandon Goodwin, who was first on a hardship exception deal and is now on a two-way contract, has done a nice job in rotational minutes. I don’t discount that, and in eight appearances with Cleveland thus far, he’s had a respectable 5.6 points and 3.5 assists in 15.9 minutes per outing.

That said, it is meaningful to know for the Cavs that Rondo is close to returning it seems, and could be back in there for stretches on Saturday versus the Oklahoma City Thunder. He reportedly progressed to rehabbing with the Cavaliers’ G-League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge, via Evan Dammarell of Fear The Sword and Right Down Euclid on Wednesday, and per Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.

Now, pumping the brakes a bit, Rondo is questionable versus the Thunder, and as a side note, Lamar Stevens, who’s been playing very well, is probable (knee soreness). Both did practice on Friday, per Bickerstaff and via Kelsey Russo of The Athletic, on the plus side, so we’ll see.

Rondo close to being back for the Cavs can provide a lift for the bench unit once again, as he’s still a reliable vet playmaker.

Rondo’s not the player he once was, and he had just 3.1 points per outing in 18 appearances with the Lakers this season pre-trade. But he’s still a guy who is a high-level organizer in his minutes, and in recent stints with the Lakers, he had plenty of experience playing with two bigs, and in his first few games, that showed.

In those first three games of his time with Cleveland, he had three, six and five assists in those outings off the bench, and after all, he’s 14th all-time in assists and led the league in that category four times. Even with some minute inconsistencies in recent seasons, Rondo has still had 9.2 assists per-36 minutes in the past four years, and gave the Lakers plenty of solid work, and provided a lift for the LA Clippers in last year’s postseason.

Granted, I don’t discount what Goodwin has done since he’s been with the Cavs, and in these past five games with Rondo sidelined, for instance.

However, even with Cleveland having Goodwin, and regardless of if the team makes a trade for perimeter help, which they’re rumored to have interest in, I do still expect Rondo to have a legit role with the Cavs.

And while it’s not always been there with other clubs, Rondo is reportedly very bought-in with the Cavaliers in this situation, and his on and off-floor leadership I’d imagine will be very meaningful for this group. He’s a two-time NBA champ, and similarly to that of Rubio, his experience should help the likes of Garland, Mobley and others, as his former teammate in Goodwin (with the Atlanta Hawks) would co-sign.

Of course, we’ll have to see how the minutes shake out for Rondo, and this hamstring soreness is something that the Cavs will need to monitor closely, and will.

If he can get right, though, with the others factored in, I would imagine that him being back in the fold can still be impactful for stretches, and from a team defensive standpoint still as well. I’m not going to be expecting 15-point games, of which he had at Golden State, in fairness.

But as the Cavaliers continue to push on to hopefully quality postseason position, or as they strive for that in the next few months, I do buy Rondo as a solid stabilizer in the rotation that’s been in so many big games, to echo our Gibson Lowenberg’s points.

Getting him back seemingly pretty soon should make a difference, provided they can find ways to keep the vet from extended absences.