Slowly but surely, Rajon Rondo is returning to good graces in Chicago.
Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg said on Thursday that he wants Rondo to be the “leader” of their second unit going forward, per Nick Friedell of ESPN.
Hoiberg noted he wants Rondo to be the "leader of that second unit" moving forward.
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) January 12, 2017
Rondo was booted from Hoiberg’s rotation at the end of December and was a DNP-CD for five straight games without much of an explanation why. But he returned to the lineup in Tuesday’s loss to the Wizards, going 6-of-13 for 12 points with four rebounds and six assists in 27 minutes off the bench.
In hindsight, perhaps a sixth man role was always best for Rondo in Chicago. There, he will be able to dominate the ball and carve up weaker opposing bench units without having to worry about ceding touches to Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler.
If Rondo is willing to accept his new, reduced role (which is never a given), maybe this will be the resolution that the two sides need in order to make their partnership work.
