Getty The Lakers have a pair of old teammates in Avery Bradley and Rajon Rondo.
Once upon a time, the two players were teammates on a talented Celtics squad just one year after they faced the Lakers in the 2010 NBA Finals. Interestingly enough, Avery Bradley now joins Rajon Rondo on the Celtics’ most heated rival as the two players look to add (in Rondo’s case a second) NBA championship ring. The two shared a court together in Boston for three and a half seasons before Rondo was traded and developed a close bond as defensive-minded backcourt players.
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Avery Bradley Excited to Reunite With Rajon Rondo on Lakers
Rajon Rondo was a big factor why Avery Bradley chose to sign with the Lakers. 🤜🤛
Beyond just saying that he respects his former teammate, Bradley heaped some incredibly high praise on Rondo according to Laker Nation’s Ron Gutterman. While admitting that Rondo took a backseat during his free agency recruiting and wanted Bradley to make the best decision for his future, he also goes to say that Rondo still ended up being a major reason why he ended up choosing the Lakers.
Bradley went onto elaborate a bit more on just how exactly Rondo’s presence was able to help convince him to take his talents to the Lakers.
“Having the opportunity to not only learn from where he is now in his game, I feel like can benefit me. Not only him but everyone else on our team. There are a lot of guys I’m going to be able to pick up a lot of leadership qualities from. That all helped me make my decision to come here,” Bradley said.
“It wasn’t just because of basketball, it was being able to build myself as a person. I felt like this was a perfect situation. With all the players here, I feel like it’s going to help me become a better person and better basketball player.”
Beyond calling Rondo an on-court leader, Bradley credits his off-court knowledge and general leadership as two of the driving factors as to why he wanted to join the Lakers. While he may no longer be an All-Defensive first-teamer, he can without a doubt provide a solid defensive presence and looks to be ready to soak up information and is coming into the year with an excellent mindset.
Quinn Cook Looks to be Interesting Fit on Lakers
Along with bringing on Avery Bradley, the Lakers filled out their roster with a number of other free agents this past offseason. One of which – Quinn Cook – looks to have the potential to be an excellent fit on the roster. Despite playing point guard, Cook doesn’t need the ball in his hands very much. He shines in catch and shoot scenarios as well, all of which make him (on paper) an ideal fit to play alongside LeBron James.
James is at his best with the ball in his hands and facilitating the offense, making a point guard like Cook who can thrive without the ball in his hands that much more important. Especially factoring in his catch and shoot abilities, Cook brings much-needed floor spacing to a Lakers lineup set to feature two players that make a living around the rim in Anthony Davis and James. Cook’s presence on the court alone should help open up lanes for the two superstars to attack and if he shows he can continue to knock down the deep ball with regularity, could find himself seeing big minutes sooner rather than later.