Rajon Rondo will enter a period of rest and rehab to strengthen his right knee, the Hawks announced Tuesday night, and he will miss at least the next three games (Jan. 6 vs. Charlotte, Jan. 9 at Charlotte, Jan. 11 vs. Philadelphia).
Rondo will be evaluated before the Hawks’ three-game West Coast road trip.
Rondo missed two games with left knee soreness and was medically cleared to play in the Hawks’ loss to the Knicks on Monday, though he did not get in the game. So this is a different issue than his left knee soreness, and likely stems from Rondo not having much of a break between last season’s championship run with the Lakers (which ended Oct. 11), and the start of this season with the Hawks. He’s also 34, which could be a factor.
So far, Rondo has played in only two regular-season games with the Hawks. He had 12 points and eight assists in the win vs. Detroit on Dec. 28 and had six assists in the loss to Brooklyn on Dec. 30. Although he provided a stabilizing presence at backup point guard, when Trae Young went to the bench, that role likely will fall to Brandon Goodwin now.
