"He was locked in" - Phil Handy shouts out Rajon Rondo as a key factor on the 2020 Los Angeles Lakers title team

The 2020 NBA Playoffs, which took place in the Orlando Bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic, were certainly different. At the end of the day, though, a winner was crowned, and that winner ended up being the Los Angeles Lakers .

That Lakers squad was led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but they also had a strong supporting cast that helped them out. If you ask Phil Handy , one guy who played a vital role behind the scenes during this title run was Rajon Rondo .

Handy gives Rondo his flowers

During his prime, the former Kentucky Wildcat was one of the most electrifying point guards in the game. For the 2019-20 Lakers, he was a reserve guard who didn't always make the biggest impact on the floor. That didn't stop Rajon from searching for ways to help the team.

Even though he was injured at the beginning of LA's bubble run, Rondo found ways to contribute behind the scenes for his team. And according to Handy, his attitude personified the Lakers team as a whole.

"Rondo specifically, he was locked in," Phil Handy said on The LADE Show. "When he broke his hand and he missed like the first three or four weeks of the bubble, he was in our coaches meetings on Zoom. He was just, 'How can I still have an impact? What way can I help the team? I want to learn what you guys are doing.' And his voice, his basketball acumen, his IQ was really important to helping the mental side of what we did."

Rajon did what was needed to win his second title

During his first title run with the Boston Celtics, Rondo played a big role in their success as their starting point guard. This time around, though, things were very different with the Lakers, but that didn't stop the veteran guard from adapting and finding his fit.

Rajon missed the Lakers' first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers, but once he returned, he did exactly what LA needed him to do off the bench (8.9 PPG, 6.6 APG, 4.3 RPG, 45.5 FG%). His steadying hand, both on and off the court, caught Handy's attention.

It's been telling that the Lakers have struggled to make deep postseason runs since they moved on from Rondo. They did bring him back for the 2021-22 season, but he struggled in his 18 games of action before he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Rondo's playmaking abilities were huge, and his desire to win was contagious. Although he may not have played the biggest role on the court, his impact on the team as a whole was certainly not lost on Handy during their magical championship run in 2020.

Related: “The two smartest basketball minds I’ve been a part of” – Lonzo Ball reflects on learning from LeBron and Rondo with the Lakers