Suffice to say, last season was a major disappointment for Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks decided to trade away one of the backbones of their 2021 championship-winning roster in Jrue Holiday to bring Lillard in, and yet they ended up becoming a worse team, unable to land on their feet following an offseason filled with changes. They are now looking towards the 2024-25 season as one of redemption, and head coach Doc Rivers brought an old friend to help the Bucks out in their preparations.
Rivers called upon one of the most important players of the title-winning 2008 Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo, to come into the Bucks' first day of training camp and fill the role of a guest coach. On the team's official Instagram account, they posted photos of the two-time NBA champion floor general working with Lillard — a player he has come up against in plenty of battles on the court.
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Rondo has long been regarded as having one of the best minds in basketball, so to see him become a coach in his retirement should not come as a surprise whatsoever. Rivers has always been a fan of his longtime point guard with the Celtics, and he's now looking towards Rondo to help him impart some winning wisdom towards Lillard and the rest of the Bucks roster.
Rondo may not have the cleanest slate off the court following his retirement, but Bucks fans are still pleased to see him work with the team as they look to put the disappointment of last season completely in the rearview mirror.
“One one of the best on-court minds of all time. Hope he can stay on permanently!!” X user @DeerMuse wrote.
“Make him an assistant coach for sure. One of the best minds in NBA History,” @Day___24 furthered.
“Bucks please sign him officially he would be such a valuable mind to developing our chemistry and younger players,” @Mr_Jofficial added.
As long as Rivers is the head coach for the Bucks, there is a chance that Rondo latches on with Milwaukee on a full-time basis. And with his reputation as one of the smartest players the league has ever seen, perhaps having him around on the bench all season long is worthwhile.
Can the Bucks reclaim East supremacy now that things have settled?
The 2023-24 season brought plenty of turbulence to the Bucks franchise. Trading Jrue Holiday (and Grayson Allen) for Damian Lillard was one thing. But they also decided to make a major head coaching change, relieving Mike Budenholzer of his duties after a fruitful stint with the team and then bringing in Adrian Griffin to replace him.
It became clear rather quickly that the Bucks players were not particularly fond of Griffin. The front office then rectified the situation by firing Griffin in the middle of the season, and then hiring tenured coach Doc Rivers as his replacement. This wave after wave of major changes never allowed the Bucks to get settled, and then Giannis Antetokounmpo's calf injury just before the playoffs began essentially sealed their fate.
Perhaps with a full offseason under Rivers and a full year having elapsed since Lillard's arrival in Milwaukee, the Bucks can regain their footing and reclaim Eastern Conference supremacy from the reigning champion Celtics.
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