The Lakers roster received a huge upgrade this season. This is the first of a five part series highlighting each player’s potential role, recent achievements, and injury risk starting with the Point Guard position.

Lonzo
Photo Credit: Ethan Miller / Getty Images

Lonzo Ball  #2

  • Projected Role: Starting Point Guard
  • Salary this season: $7.4M with 2 years remaining after this season
  • 20 years old


2016-17 (UCLA Bruins)

  • NCAA season assist leader
  • Consensus First Team All-American
  • PAC-12 Freshman of the Year

2017-18 (Lakers)

  • Drafted 2nd overall by the Lakers
  • Named Summer League MVP while leading the Lakers to the Summer League title
  • Earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors
  • Ranked 2nd in Assists among rookies
  • Averages: 10.2 points / 6.2 rebounds / 7.2 assists

Injuries

  • Lonzo missed a total of 30 games during his rookie season due to various injuries. The most serious of those was believed to be a sprained MCL, but was later diagnosed as a torn meniscus. He’s had surgery to repair it and should be fully recovered for the start of training camp. His durability isn’t expected to be a concern, but only time will tell.
Rondo
Photo Credit: Nathaniel S. Butler / NBAE via Getty Images

Rajon Rondo  #9

  • Projected Role: Backup Point Guard and mentor to Lonzo Ball
  • Salary this season: $9M on a 1-year contract
  • 32 years old, this will be his 13th NBA season
  • Pronunciation: RAW-John, with “John” similar to “Jean”-Claude Van Damme
  • Lifelong enemy of some Lakers fans, as he spent 8 season in Boston


Career Highlights

  • Helped Boston defeat the Lakers in the 2007-08 NBA Finals ?
  • 4 time NBA All-Star
  • 3 time NBA assist leader
  • 1 time NBA steals leader
  • 2 time NBA All-Defensive First Team
  • 2 time NBA All-Defensive Second Team
  • 1 Time All-NBA Third Team
  • NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2006-07

2017-18 (Pelicans)

  • Averages: 8.3 points / 4.0 rebounds / 8.2 assists
  • Playoff Averages: 10.3 points / 7.6 rebounds / 12.2 assists
  • On Dec 17, dropped 25 assists vs Brooklyn

Injuries

  • Through 12 seasons in the NBA, Rondo has suffered his share of injuries. The most severe being a torn ACL in 2012-13 which he seems to have completely recovered from. More recently, he had surgery for a sports hernia at the beginning of last season. He finished the season without setbacks, so he appears to be in relatively good shape. Limiting his minutes in a backup role to Lonzo Ball will surely increase his odds of staying healthy.
Caruso
Photo Credit: Ethan Miller / Getty Images

Alex Caruso  #4

  • Projected Role: G League prospect. Caruso signed to a 2-way contract this off-season which shows that the Lakers have him locked and loaded to move from the G League to the NBA roster should Ball or Rondo suffer an injury
  • 23 years old


2015-16 (Texas A&M Aggies)

  • Became the school’s all time assists leader (649) and steals leader (276)
  • SEC All-Defensive Team
  • All-SEC Second Team
  • 4-year Averages: 8.0 points / 4.7 assists / 2.0 steals

2016-17 (Thunder)

  • Went undrafted in the 2016-17 NBA draft
  • Spent time with the 76ers as well as the Thunder, but ultimately finished the season on the Thunder’s G League squad

2017-18 (Lakers)

  • Signed with the Lakers and helped them take home the Summer League championship
  • Spent most of the season on the G League roster, but appeared in 37 regular season games for the Lakers mainly due to Lonzo Ball’s torn meniscus

Injuries

  • Caruso has been pretty durable in his young career, and has avoided any notable injury
Berry
Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images

Joel Berry II  #11

  • Projected Role: G League prospect. Berry went undrafted in the 2018-19 NBA draft. He will likely remain on the G League roster as he continues to develop his game, and will need to consistently outplay Caruso if he hopes to be called up if Ball or Rondo suffer an injury
  • 23 years old


2016-17 (North Carolina Tar Heels)

  • Led the Tar Heels to the NCAA Championship
  • NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player
  • Second Team All-ACC

2017-18 (North Carolina Tar Heels)

  • First Team All-ACC
  • Third Team NABC All-American

Injuries

  • During the Tar Heels championship run in 2016-17, Berry played with injuries to both ankles but still managed to rack up 22 points and 6 assists in the championship game. In his senior season of 2017-18, his ankle injuries proved to be a thing of the past as he earned multiple individual awards for his play.

Coming soon is Part 2: Shooting Guards – featuring KCP, Summer League MVP Josh Hart, and rookies Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and Isaac Bonga.

Contact Ryan Ramsey on Twitter @DoubleR818

Top Background Photo Credit: Derick E. Hingle / USA TODAY Sport

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