MILWAUKEE – As head coach Doc Rivers works to reshape the Milwaukee Bucks back into championship form, one of his top priorities has been sharpening the team’s young guard room to better complement franchise cornerstone Giannis Antetokounmpo, whose future with the team remains uncertain. To do it, Rivers turned to a former floor general he trusts as much as any he has coached: Rajon Rondo.
“He was with us last year, and I called him this summer and I said, ‘Hey, we need you involved, around.’ And he’s been fantastic,” Rivers said after Milwaukee’s 126-110 win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday — their first group-play game of the NBA Cup.
Rondo, a two-time NBA champion and potential Hall of Famer, began his career with Rivers and the Boston Celtics in 2006. After serving as a consultant for the Bucks last season, he’s back this year in an expanded role as a “coaching associate” – a mentor and real-time strategist embedded with the team’s backcourt.
But exactly how is he shaping the play of this Bucks roster, and could he be the key to helping return Milwaukee to title form?
What’s Rajon Rondo’s role with Bucks?
“Last year I was more in a consulting role,” Rondo told Bucks forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo on the latter’s Thanalysis podcast, which aired Nov. 5. “[This year], I’m around more and I’m able to be on the bench… I’m able to talk to the guys, and my biggest strength is to be able to help the guys [make] in-game adjustments on the fly.”
That on-bench presence and the real-time influence could be significant and boost the Bucks to a championship level of play.
That in-game presence has quickly become an extension of Rivers’ mission. Rondo said his philosophy is simple: do the thinking for the guards, so the game slows down for them.
“Let me do all the thinking for you. I’ll put you in the right spots. I’ll put the other guys in the right spots, so the game is easier for you,” Rondo said.
His influence was visible in Milwaukee’s win over Chicago. Ryan Rollins – thrust into a lead-guard role after Kevin Porter Jr.’s injury – finished with 20 points on 7-for-13 shooting, plus six rebounds, four assists, and three steals against just one turnover.
Rivers pointed directly to Rondo’s hands-on film work as a driving force behind the progress for Rollins and the backcourt.
“[Rondo] watches tons of film,” Rivers said. “And I love it, because he’s chasing [the players] down on the road. Guys are trying to get away, and he finds them, ‘No, no, no. We’re going to watch film first.’”
Rondo leads by example with Bucks’ young talent
Rondo’s focus isn’t limited to Rollins. He’s also working with newcomer Cole Anthony, the former Orlando Magic guard signed by Milwaukee in the offseason
“Him being in the particular role now with a coach like Doc Rivers – a point guard’s dream – to be able to have the ball, create plays, and play with a guy, one of the most dominant guys who ever played the game in Giannis Antetokounmpo… the sky’s the limit,” Rondo said.
That mentorship revolves around precision and timing.
“The loft on the ball, the trajectory of how he’s getting to him. That’s what I used to do with my guys,” Rondo said. “Get [them] an easy bucket. You don’t have to work as hard. Just run to your spot, I’ll get it right to you and make it easy for you.”
The setup with Rondo allows Rivers to focus on broader schemes while Rondo handles micro-level instruction.
“We’ve kind of created a guard pool,” Rivers said. “Him and Ryan, Cole, and Scoot [Kevin Porter Jr.]… they just sit and watch. He’s been great for me because I call him, and I’ll say, ‘Hey, I tried to run three ATOs, they didn’t see this. I explain it to Rondo, and then he does it. They hear my voice all the time. It’s great for them to hear someone else.”
Rondo says communication is key to Bucks guards’ success
One theme Rondo returns to often is communication; a simple, but often overlooked, key to smarter basketball.
“Watching film with Ryan Rollins… and I found myself telling him, ‘You have to talk every possession. You have to,’” Rondo said. “My job as a coach is to get you to understand what you need to say… because again, most players right now don’t know what the hell to say. So, they don’t say anything and then you’re on the court and it’s mute and now the pickle happens and… now it’s too late.”
That communication emphasis is part of the Bucks’ broader push to become a smarter, more connected team.
And for Rondo, vocal players are winning players, but open communication also breeds something else: camaraderie. Digging into the psychological, Rondo suggested he also helps cultivate a brotherhood that, he said, can breed champions.
“Teams who care about each other win,” he said.
So far, Rondo’s impact has been felt across the organization – not just the guard room and coaches’ offices. Milwaukee forward Bobby Portis said of Rondo, “Shoutout to Rondo, watching film… Rondo’s been big for our guards this year. [His] basketball IQ is out of this world. Having him around to help… has been very critical for our start of the season.”
If the Bucks are to reclaim their 2021 championship form, they’ll need more than Antetokounmpo’s dominance. They’ll need sharp execution, vocal leadership, and guards who think about the game on a higher level.
If Milwaukee’s bench and its younger guards can absorb that, the Bucks’ best basketball may still be ahead.
