LOS ANGELES — Evaluating Rajon Rondo is difficult for even the most seasoned observer and the whispers about his value relative to the Bulls’ needs were magnified in his two-game absence, road wins to start the circus trip.

Since his return, though, he’s been critical to the Bulls playing a faster style while subsequently taking pressure off Jimmy Butler, evidenced by Butler’s dish to the point guard and layup that sealed Sunday’s win against the pesky Lakers.

His all-around game has been on display as he’s averaged 10 assists and 9.5 rebounds in two games while totaling 13 points.

“How do I gauge it (my return)? I guess with wins,” said Rondo matter-of-factly.

Never one to make a knee-jerk assessment after a game, preferring to watch film first, Rondo said he feels good about how he’s played.

“Evaluating myself after the Clippers game, I came back pretty strong,” Rondo said. “I tried to do the intangibles, pick up defensively and be the best communicator on the floor to point guys in the right direction.”

It was easy to claim the Bulls winning going away against Portland and closing out the Jazz was directly related to Rondo’s absence, but it’s far more nuanced than that. Seeing second-year guard Jerian Grant harass Blazers point guard Damian Lillard the entire way and hitting big shots while playing off Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade aren’t expected to be hallmarks of Rondo’s game.

At times, Rondo looks hesitant to shoot and it can gum up the limited spacing Butler and Wade need to get in the lane, both being supreme finishers and players who create contact for fouls.

However, his ability to push the pace and set up players like Taj Gibson and Robin Lopez cannot be overlooked, as the backline of the defense often plays more engaged when they get a decent amount of offensive touches.

“You look at our pace when he’s on the floor, it’s so much better than when he’s off,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “You can see the impact Rondo can have by getting us out early in the first; he’s got great energy out the gate. He’s been so good.”

Perhaps tongue-in-cheek or as a nod to the natural thought when one looks at Rondo’s 34.6 field-goal percentage (and 25 percent from three-point range), Hoiberg offered assurances about that subject without being asked.

“He’s been shooting the ball well in practice I promise you that. He will start making shots,” Hoiberg said.

Which means Rondo can naturally be more wont to set up teammates as opposed to looking for his own offense, a balance he has to walk with Butler considering Butler can create for himself and others as a focal point of an offense.

But having Butler as a primary facilitator without a point guard on the floor can slow up an offense, too and it’s led to some stagnant times without Rondo.

“Yeah,” said Rondo when asked if it’s a balance to walk with Butler. “But he’s so unselfish, he’s gonna get a lot of the plays. He’s our best player so never really fought him for anything like that. I know when teams make a run, who we get the ball to. They know as well. It’s no secret. When you play with a guy as unselfish as him, I don’t need to control the ball as I used to back in the day.”

Rondo actually points to his days in Dallas as a productive time when it comes to this, having played with Chandler Parsons and Monta Ellis along with Dirk Nowitzki as guys who didn’t need Rondo to create their own offense.

“You find a ways to make yourself effective and efficient on the court when you don’t have the ball,” he admitted.

And as a defender, expecting him to pick up point guards for a full 40 minutes like a 22-year old dynamo is probably unrealistic, but he can do it in spurts — it’s just figuring out when to expect it is the mystery.

“Yeah, when you get older, you work smarter and wiser. Not as hard,” Rondo said. “Just like working on my game in the summertime, I don’t work as long as I did in my younger days. Pick and choose my spots, knowing who’s out there on the floor with me.

"When I was young in Boston, I could gamble and make a bunch of mistakes and I had KG (Kevin Garnett) and Perk (Kendrick Perkins) behind me. Things are different now with the Bulls. Having a guy like Lopez protecting the rim and Taj being able to switch out pick and rolls helps as well.”