How Rajon Rondo Boosts Bucks’ Title Chances Amid Giannis Urgency

MILWAUKEE – As a head coach Doc Rivers working on reshaping Milwaukee Bucks returned to championship form, one of his top priorities was to sharpen the team’s young quarterback room to better complement the franchise’s cornerstone Giannis Antetokounmpowhose future with the team remains uncertain. To do that, Rivers turned to a former floor general he trusts as much as anyone he’s coached: Rajon Rondo.

“He was with us last year, and I called him this summer and said, ‘Hey, we need you involved, around.’ And he was fantastic,” Rivers said afterward Milwaukee beat the Chicago Bulls 126-110 on Friday — their first NBA Cup group game.

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 returned this year in an expanded role as an “associate coach” — a real-time mentor and strategist connected to the team’s backcourt.

But how exactly is he shaping the play of this Bucks roster, and can he be the key to Milwaukee’s return to title form?

What is Rajon Rondo’s role with the Bucks?

“Last year I was more in a consulting role,” Rondo told Bucks forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo of the latter Podcast analysiswhich was broadcast on November 5. “(This year), I’m there more and I can be on the bench … I can talk to guys, and my biggest strength is being able to help guys (make) adjustments in the game on the fly.”

That bench presence and real-time impact could be significant and elevate the Bucks to a championship level of play.

That in-game presence quickly became an extension of Rivers’ mission. Rondo said his philosophy is simple: think for the guard, so the game slows down for them.

“Let me do all the thinking for you. I’m going to put you in the right spots. I’m going to put other guys in the right spots, so it makes your game easier,” Rondo said.

His impact was evident in Milwaukee’s win over Chicago. Ryan Rollins – thrust into the role of main back after Injury to Kevin Porter Jr – finished with 20 points on 7-for-13 shooting, plus six rebounds, four assists and three steals with just one turnover.

Rivers directly pointed to Rondo’s hands-on film work as the driving force behind the progress of Rollins and the backcourt.

“(Rondo) watches tons of film,” Rivers said. “And I like it, because he chases (players) down the road. Guys try to run and he finds them: ‘No, no, no. We’re going to watch film first.'”

Rondo is leading by example with the Bucks’ young talent

Rondo’s focus isn’t limited to Rollins. He also works with rookie Cole Anthony, the former Orlando Magic guard who was signed by Milwaukee in the offseason

“He’s in a special role now with a coach like Doc Rivers — a point guard’s dream — to be able to have the ball, make plays and play with a guy, one of the most dominant guys to ever play the game in Giannis Antetokounmpo … the sky’s the limit,” Rondo said.

That mentoring revolves around precision and timing.

“The loft on the ball, the path he takes to get to it. That’s what I’ve been doing with my guys,” Rondo said. “Get (them) an easy bucket. You don’t have to try so hard. Just run to your seat, I’ll get it for 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 kind of created a guard pool,” Rivers said. “He and Ryan and Cole and Scoot (Kevin Porter Jr.) … just sit there 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 to Ronda, and then he does it. They hear my voice all the time. They hear my voice. That’s great for somebody else.’

Rondo says communication is the key to the Bucks guard’s success

One theme that 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’ve got to talk every possession. You’ve got to,'” Rondo said. “My job as a coach is to make you understand what to say … because again, most players don’t know what the hell to say right now. So they don’t say anything and then you’re on the field and it’s gone and now the pickle is happening and … now it’s too late.”

That emphasis on communication is part of a broader effort by the Bucks 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 it also helps foster a brotherhood that he said can breed champions.

“Teams that care about each other win,” he said.

By now, Rondo’s impact has been felt throughout the organization – not just in the guard room and coaches’ offices. Milwaukee forward Bobby Portis said of Rondo“Shout out to Rondo, you’re watching film … Rondo has been huge for our guards this year. (His) basketball IQ is out of this world. Having him around to help … has been very important to our start to the season.”

If the Bucks want to regain their championship form in 2021, they will need more than Antetokounmpo’s dominance. They will need sharp execution, vocal leadership and guards who think about the game at a higher level.

If Milwaukee’s bench and its younger guards can absorb that, the Bucks’ best basketball may still be ahead.