SAN ANTONIO — When Lakers guard Rajon Rondo returns from his three-game suspension on Saturday against the Spurs, coach Luke Walton will have a decision to make. He can either revert to his opening night lineup, with Rondo starting at point guard and Lonzo Ball coming off the bench, or he can accelerate a decision that most assumed would eventually come and name Ball the permanent starter.



The case Ball made for himself in those three games was compelling and, perhaps, irrefutable.



With Rondo in the penalty box, Ball averaged 12.7 points, 6.7 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 40 percent from 3-point range. The Lakers won two of three games. The new starting lineup, with Ball and Kyle Kuzma alongside LeBron James, Josh Hart and JaVale McGee, posted a beefy net rating of 11.6 while holding opposing teams to just 93.6 points per 100 possessions. The group that included Rondo, Brandon Ingram and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope posted a net rating of 1.6 in...