The Bucks' smartest offseason went completely under the radar at the time, but now it might actually be bearing fruit. And that's because none other than point guard maestro Rajon Rondo has been teaching Milwaukee's guards how to run an offense.
Now obviously, it's only been three games, but anyone paying attention knows the Bucks are looking more cohesive than ever on the offensive side of the ball.
The stats back this up: Cole Anthony has (more than) doubled his assists per game from last season, jumping from 2.9 to 6.0 through two games. Ryan Rollins' playmaking took a similar leap, going from 1.9 assists last year to 4.3 this season.
Rajon Rondo is leaving his mark on the Bucks' offense
Anyone who grew up watching Rajon Rondo knows that's not a coincidence at all. That's Rondo's fingerprints all over Milwaukee's backcourt.
In case you missed it, Rajon Rondo earlier joined the Milwaukee Bucks as a "guest coach" during their 2024 training camp to work with his former coach in Doc Rivers.
He was not an official coaching staff member in the beginning, according to reports, but an unspecified role with the team was expected to continue throughout the season. There has also been speculation about a potential full-time assistant role for the 2025-26 season.
The impact makes all the sense in the world when you think about who Rondo was as a player. He was one of the most cerebral point guards in NBA history and made everyone around him better with his passing. Now he's sharing that knowledge with Milwaukee's young guards.
Anthony's transformation is especially striking, considering he was always a scorer first in Orlando. It doesn't take long to find clips of him hunting his own offense even when better options existed. Now he's running pick-and-rolls with purpose, finding both cutters in the lane or shooters in the corner, and overall just making the simple play that keeps the offense flowing.
Rollins' development as a playmaker opens up Milwaukee's second unit entirely. If he can legitimately run the offense when Giannis sits, suddenly the Bucks aren't completely lost during those stretches. Rondo is teaching him to use his size advantage as a guard to see over defenses and make reads that smaller players can't.
What's encouraging is that playmaking isn't even the only thing Rondo can teach these young Bucks. He was always known as a dogged defender throughout his career, which is something Rollins, Anthony, and Porter Jr. could still pick his brain on. Rollins, in particular, is already showing massive improvement on the defensive side of the ball as it is.
It's obviously a small sample size, but the jump in assist numbers is dramatic enough to at least convince this writer that real development is happening in the playmaking department.
While we can't deny that the system of the Bucks will have to be more dynamic and free-flowing this year, it's also clear that Anthony and Rollins aren't just randomly getting lucky here. They're making smarter reads and better passes because someone taught them how.
Milwaukee's backcourt has been a weakness for years, and even now, it still has a long way to go. Maybe Rondo is the secret ingredient that finally fixes it.