Lakers Coach Frank Vogel On Having Rajon Rondo Back At Practice: 'The Juice Was Different In The Gym'

Rondo, who sustained a fractured right thumb on July 12, cleared quarantine on Monday and is medically-cleared to turn.

Rajon Rondo gave the Lakers a mental boost heading into their first-round playoff series against Portland. 

Rondo practiced for the first time Monday after sustaining a fractured right thumb in the team's second practice inside the NBA bubble on July 12.

Things felt a bit different with him around. 

"Well the juice was different in the gym, that’s for sure," Lakers coach Frank Vogel said in a videoconference call Monday. "That’s what Rondo brings. Obviously -- I always joke that his impact is measured in swag, and you see that in the film sessions. We’ve felt that in all of our coaches’ meetings. He’s been like an assistant coach for us the last four, five, six weeks. But to have him back around his teammates in the film session, and then in the gym today, it just gave everybody a lift."

Vogel said Rondo was medically-cleared Monday, five weeks after sustaining the injury. That puts him ahead of the six-to-eight week timetable that was initially given for his return. 

But Vogel said "it's unlikely" that he'll play in Game 1 on Tuesday.

"This is the first time he’s played basketball with anyone other than himself for a few weeks now, or since the injury to his hand," Vogel said. "So we’ll just see how -- we’ll take it day to day, see how he continues to progress with his conditioning, rhythm and timing and how his hand is responding to the added work."

Rondo, a four-time All-Star and one-time NBA champion in 2008, was averaging 7.1 points, three rebounds and five assists in 20.5 minutes a game this season for the Lakers before the hiatus.

Throughout the season, LeBron James has said he's looking forward to playing alongside Rondo in the playoffs, adding that he's one of the smartest players in the league.

Rondo could be especially invaluable against the Trail Blazers' dangerous backcourt, but Vogel said he's going to be cautious with the veteran guard. 

"There’s definitely a temptation to throw him in there [Tuesday] night," Vogel said. "But we’re going to be intelligent. We don’t need to rush him back and put him at risk. We definitely need him, but we’ll bring him back at the right speed at the right time. It would have been great if he hadn’t gotten injured and been with us this whole time. He was ready to go. But that’s not the case, so like anybody that’s injured, we’ll bring them back when they’re ready, not before."