Offseason addition Rajon Rondo has stepped as one of the vocal leaders in the Pelicans locker room despite the fact that he hasn’t suited up for a single game this season, William Guillory of The Times-Picayune writes.
The 31-year-old playmaker will slot into a frontcourt-heavy Pelicans lineup that could benefit from reinforcements on the perimeter. That doesn’t mean the veteran is going to rush back from the core muscle injury that has sidelined him since undergoing surgery in mid-October.
“I wake up and I feel pretty good everyday. We take for granted that we can get out of bed on the regular, for the couple weeks I was down, I couldn’t. I’m just happy I can get out of bed without having assistance or not having to roll over to my side and get up,” the Pelicans guard said.
Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry mentioned November 17 as a possible return date but Rondo will be particularly cautious about making his debut. “I want to play the rest of the [season]. I don’t want to come back and play two games, then I’m sitting out for another two weeks,” he said.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Don’t expect the Mavs to instantly turn their season around once Seth Curry makes his 2017/18 debut but the sharp-shooting guard can help create space with his .432 career three-point shooting abilities, Kevin Sherrington of The Dallas Morning News writes in a question-and-answer feature with readers.
- Shaky perimeter play has limited the Pelicans this season, William Guillory of The Times-Picayune writes, and that was on display yet again this week. The team has struggled in 2017/18 in part because they rely too heavily on their star-studded frontcourt for offense.
- Count Mavs owner Mark Cuban among those excited about Dennis Smith Jr. Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes that Cuban thinks the rookie guard needs to work on his shot but has the strength and attitude to thrive in the NBA.