Has Rajon Rondo’s Arrival Led to the Resurgence of Vintage LeBron James?

In his early days with the Cavaliers and the Heat, LeBron James was a scoring beast. Coming into the game, the opponents knew they were getting 30 pieced by LeBron.

And not only did he punish with scoring but also shut down the opposition with his defense. During the two games against the Rockets, we could see a glimpse of that.

Last night, he had 36 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, and he shot 13/23 from the field. The reason behind this rise of vintage LeBron is the return of Rajon Rondo.

After not playing a single game in the bubble due to injury, Rondo directly returned for the series against the Rockets. He had a poor first game but followed it with back-to-back impressive displays.

Rondo’s arrival meant LeBron’s playmaking duty went down. He wasn’t forced to fill in as the primary ball-handler and playmaker anymore. All he had to do was get buckets and play defense.

Can LeBron James continue this form?

The veteran point guard has been the floor general for the Lakers and has made it look easy. He had shown signs of regression in the regular season, but Playoffs Rondo is a different animal altogether.

In the last two games, he has proved that he can be a vital contributor to the Lakers’ Playoffs campaign.

Both losses in the Lakers’ campaign so far have been similar. The main reason is that LeBron always starts slow. But another reason is that LeBron had a pass-first mentality in both games. He didn’t take as many shots as he should have and was enduringly trying to find the open man.

This lack of initiative to get the win has now disappeared with him focusing on only getting as many points as he can to help the team

LeBron’s scoring has lifted the team, and his defense has also been refreshing. In this series, he had eight blocks in three games. Last night he had four as he chased down and swatted the Rockets’ drives to the rim away.

He hasn’t had a particular assignment on defense but has been protecting his paint with authority.

Throughout the rest of the Playoffs, the Lakers need LeBron to maintain this killer instinct. They also need Rondo to stay consistent and continue to be a force off the bench. With these two veterans looking like their vintage selves, the Lakers can go all the way to a title.