Rajon Rondo's Spitting Allowed the World to See Why Lonzo Ball is Now the Starter

Rajon Rondo will not return from his suspension as the Lakers starting point guard, according to Dave McMenamin. Lonzo Ball, who has been starting in his absence, will remain the starter. While Rondo was never believed to be the long-term answer over Ball, it was Rondo’s boneheaded decision to spit on Chris Paul that allowed Ball to prove he is the better option.

As a starter, Ball has made the Lakers a much more effective team on offense. Ball has also drastically improved his play on defense displaying a much more dynamic overall guard than that of Rondo at this stage of his career. Before Rondo’s suspension, it was not a known fact that Ball could be such a disturbance on defense for so many different NBA players:

The more minutes Ball plays the more he fills the deepest hole the Lakers have: three-point shooting. Even with his still unorthodox form, Ball has greatly improved as a three-point shooter. As I pointed out on The Big Lead Live yesterday, LeBron James playing off-ball when Ball is on the court has resulted in some of the Lakers best possessions.

Sure it is way too early to completely rule out Ball struggling and Rondo once again becoming a starter, but it is undeniable to this point that the Lakers are a better team when Ball is running the show from tip-off. And how do we know that? Because Rondo allowed us to see it by spitting.