In an unexpected turn of events, the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Houston Rockets in Game 1. After a bit of back and forth early in the game, the Rockets took off and the Lakers were never able to catch up.

Following an injury prior to the seeding games, Rajon Rondo had not played a single minute in the bubble. Last night, he finally made an appearance and it was a forgetful one.

During the 25 minutes he was on the court, Rondo had eight points, three rebounds, and four assists. He shot 3/9 from the field and had four turnovers as well.

He tried a bit too hard on many occasions but couldn’t execute. But despite that, Lakers star Anthony Davis defended him in the post-game interview.

“He’s a great player and a great cerebral player,” Davis said. “Playing in the game and getting that game conditioning is tough when you haven’t played and then your first game is in the Western semis.”

“It kind of gives Bron a break. He’s trying to make plays for others, be in attack mode and so it gives him a break with Rondo on the floor and letting Bron be that guy who can catch it and just worry about attacking.”

Do the Lakers need Rondo in the rotation?

So with LeBron James on the court, on many occasions, Rondo acted as a primary ball-handler. But he struggled to distribute and had many comical slips on the court in the first half.

With him turning 34 this year, he’s way past his best. His arrival slashed down Alex Caruso’s minutes. Coming into a playoff game after no game time since March was always going to be tough so Rondo should not have played more than Caruso.

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It was a harsh move considering Caruso had been one of their best players in the series against the Blazers. From averaging almost 24 minutes in the previous series, he ended up playing just 16 last night. He still put up 14 points in that span of time, which was the third-highest for the team.

The Lakers also have Dion Waiters on the roster who has just played 35 minutes in the postseason so far. With the team struggling to shoot, he can be an asset to the team. He might have struggled in the seeding games and can be a defensive liability at times, but he deserves a chance.

Fans will be anxious to see how head coach Frank Vogel plans his rotation for the upcoming games.