After a 2-5 start in which LeBron James had to remind himself to be patient with his new team, the Los Angeles Lakers have won six of their last seven games, including a 126-117 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night. Just as they're starting to play well, however, the Lakers will be without the services of veteran point guard Rajon Rondo for an extended period of time.

On Thursday, Rondo underwent successful surgery on his broken right hand and is expected to be out of action for 4-5 weeks. The team revealed that Rondo had injured the third metatarsal in his right hand during Wednesday's contest.

This is where Rondo suffered his right hand injury:

In his first season with the Lakers, Rondo is averaging 9.3 points, 6.8 assists and 4.8 rebounds in mostly a reserve role. After rough stops in Dallas and Chicago, Rondo helped lead the New Orleans Pelicans to a playoff berth and a first-round sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers last season.

Rondo had been commanding the second unit, and his injury opens up more minutes for starting point guard Lonzo Ball, along with promising young reserve Josh Hart. It could also allow Brandon Ingram to play more of a point forward role, which he performed well in toward the end of last season, while spending more time on the court with the reserves.