There are worse words to hear regarding your starting All-Star point guard. “Torn ACL.” “Fractured tibia.” “Turned into Baron Davis.” But right up there is “plantar fasciitis,” a foot condition that is a remarkably troublesome problem for NBA players. The condition is both sincerely painful to the point of distraction, yet not debilitating to keep a player from not playing. The only way for it to heal is to not walk on it, or run on it, and especially not jump on it. But that’s not really an option for an NBA player, so they’re forced to play through it.
Rajon Rondo will have to play on it. The Boston Herald reports that Rondo has been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. He’s not expected to miss any time. Tony Parker suffered with the condition last season and had a clear effect on his jumper. Luckily, Rondo still doesn’t have a reliable jumper to speak of. But if it worsens, it can impact dribble-hesitation moves, explosiveness, and speed. So far it hasn’t had any impact on Rondo, as he leads the league in assists per game and is second in assist ratio.