Why the Celtics Should Be Wary of Rajon Rondo Joining the Bucks

Rondo transitioning to coaching is no surprise, but joining the Bucks' staff should raise some eyebrows.

Rajon Rondo and Jayson Tatum / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Former Boston Celtics star Rajon Rondo is officially making the transition into a basketball career post-retirement. First, it started with the Milwaukee Bucks' posting a picture of Rondo on their X account, where he was described as a "guest coach."

Guest coach Rajon Rondo at camp in Cali. pic.twitter.com/j5IQkgfABx

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) October 1, 2024

Then, ESPN's Baxter Holmes confirmed that the Rondo would not only be their "guest coach" but will also be involved with the Bucks in an "unspecified capacity" for the 2024-25 season.

Nowadays, Rondo doesn't get the appreciation he deserves for keeping the Celtics relevant even as the Big 3 aged due to him blossoming into a star, but now that's neither he nor there. Now, Rondo, who played under Doc Rivers in Boston from 2006 to 2013, will to some degree get his first taste of coaching.

While the jury's out on whether this could potentially impact the Celtics' upcoming matchup against the Bucks, it is something that the Celtics should definitely keep their eye on. Rondo has proven to be a thorn in their side in the past when he played for the opposition primarily because of his basketball IQ.

Rondo played an instrumental role in helping the eighth-seeded Bulls go up 2-0 on the first-seeded Celtics in the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs. The Celtics proceeded to win the next four games, but all four wins came after Rondo suffered a season-ending thumb injury.

Whether that factored into how that series turned out in the end, Rondo himself explained on JJ Redick's "The Old Man & The Three" in 2023, he explained how he orchestrated the Bulls' plan of attack that beat the Celtics in crunchtime. More than that, his approach was like that of a coach.

Rajon Rondo speaks on trying to outcoach Brad Stevens in the 2017 playoffs

The eighth-seeded Bulls led the first-seeded Celtics 2-0 but dropped the next four games after Rondo suffered an injury

(@OldManAndThree )

pic.twitter.com/BcnbepmPjP

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 29, 2023

“When I was going against the Celtics when I played for the Bulls, my whole mindset that entire series was to beat Brad Stevens,” Rondo said. “I was working on fourth-quarter execution plays that we could run in the fourth that Stevens hadn’t seen us play yet. So when we did run those plays, they weren’t able to make those counters or adjustments.”

From the sound of things, Rondo's transition to coaching could be seamless because he thought exactly like one to help an eighth seed come within halfway of upsetting a first seed.

His level of basketball IQ could be a huge asset for the Bucks, though it should be clarified that his role with them is unclear. One of the Bucks' biggest issues last season was going through the coaching changes that they did. Now that that's under control and they've added a former star renowned for his basketball genius like Rondo, that could spell trouble for the Celtics.

The Celtics are the reigning champions and will have some obstacles in the way of repeating. If adding Rondo works out for Milwaukee, the Bucks may be their biggest one.