Before Rajon Rondo debuted midway through the first quarter, the Clippers’ newest point guard watched the opening minutes of a matchup between his present and former teams Sunday from a padded folding chair stationed behind where coach Tyronn Lue stood barking out instructions.
Following his first five-minute stint, the point guard dangled his Puma sneakers from an elevated seat atop a baseline videoboard. By the second half, he’d found an open front-row chair between assistants Dan Craig and Kenny Atkinson, watching the Clippers’ 104-86 rout of the Lakers unfold.