Is Rajon Rondo the locker-room voice the Bucks need?

LeBron James and countless others have campaigned for Rajon Rondo to become a head coach in the NBA or at least a voice in the locker room that can rally the troops. 

The Celtics legend is finally heeding those calls. 

On Thursday, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers confirmed Rondo has joined his team as a guest coach for its training camp and will remain with the team in an unspecified capacity through the 2024-25 season.

"You'll see him a lot. That's all I'll say," Rivers told ESPN's Baxter Holmes. 

"He's the smartest player I've ever coached — and not just smart," Rivers added. "He knows when to and when not to say stuff. He's a great team builder. It's just fun, and it's great to have him around."

According to Rondo via ESPN, Rivers recruited him for the role when he attended his wedding in Italy this summer, telling him, "Get your a-- to camp." 

Rondo, who played under Rivers for seven years in Boston, obliged without hesitation. 

The two-time NBA champion said he "absolutely" plans to be an NBA head coach someday and hopes that the experience with the Bucks prepares him for the role. 

"I'm learning what it looks like," Rondo told ESPN of being a part of a coaching unit. 

"You see people go from not coaching to head-coaching jobs all the time," he added. "A lot of people go straight to becoming assistant coaches. So there's just no path. I just want to seek as much information as possible."

During his 16-year NBA career, Rondo developed the reputation of a leader who didn't back away from confrontations and challenged his peers to up their game. Anthony Davis, for example, credited Rondo for helping him realize his potential during the Lakers' 2020 championship run. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce similarly praised Rondo for being the leader of the star-studded Celtics team in the late 2000s.

As such, Rondo could be the exact voice the Bucks need a year after a disappointing season that ended with a first-round playoff loss. Even before their early postseason exit, the Bucks were plagued with distractions, from the midseason firing of head coach Adrian Griffin to the awkward on-court chemistry between co-stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. They never truly got their house in order.

For Rondo, the Bucks job could be his audition for a head-coaching gig elsewhere. For Milwaukee, Rondo could be the catalyst to turn its fortunes around. The hire could be a win-win all the way around.