LA Lakers Update: Rajon Rondo injured, Anthony Davis explains decision to wear own name on jersey

It will take NBA teams some time to get back to speed after a four-month hiatus following the league suspension in March. Physical conditioning is the main focus following the long break and practice routines have to be formulated accordingly. The Los Angeles Lakers are no different as they conducted their first team practice inside the NBA bubble in Orlando on Saturday.

Bad news has followed only a day later, with point guard Rajon Rondo suffering a fracture in his right thumb during the routines on Sunday. The news was first reported by Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

The Lakers say Rondo fractured his right thumb. He will undergo surgery and is expected to return to full basketball activities in six to eight weeks. https://t.co/589H5uWYYd
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 13, 2020

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As stated above, the timeline for Rondo's return is six to eight weeks. This means that the Lakers will have his services on offer only in the latter stages of the NBA Playoffs, that is if he makes a return at all.

Alex Caruso will play a vital role for the Lakers in Rondo's absence

Rajon Rondo has certainly been on the decline and statistically, this is his worst year in quite a bit. But he's one of the few players whom Lakers head coach Frank Vogel has relied on to take care of the ball-handling duties when LeBron James in on the bench. The likes of Alex Caruso and Quinn Cook will have to step up in Rondo's absence.

Anthony Davis to wear his own name on the back of his Lakers' jersey

AD spoke to the media ahead of the Lakers' practice on Sunday evening

A new trend that will be seen once the season resumes on 30 July is players wearing social messages on the back of their jerseys. Several stars have picked their preferred slogan from a list handed out to NBA players by the association. LeBron James revealed yesterday that he was going to skip that exercise and continue with his own name.

Also read: LeBron James explains why he won't be wearing a social message on the back of his jersey

Now, Anthony Davis has announced today that he will be following in the footsteps of his Lakers partner-in-crime.

"I was kind of torn between the two," Davis said. "I just think my last name is something that is very important to me, and social justice as well. But [I'm] just holding my family name and representing the name on the back to go through this process...and people who have been with me through my entire career to help me get to this point."

AD concluded by stressing on the fact that there are multiple ways for him to support the movement against social injustice.

We leave you with snapshots from the Lakers' practice session on Sunday.