Rajon Rondo Joins Doc Rivers' Bucks as Guest Coach, Will Have Role During NBA Season

As Doc Rivers prepares for his second season as the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, he has one of his former players at training camp helping him.

Per ESPN's Baxter Holmes, Rajon Rondo has been with the Bucks as a guest coach for their training camp at UC Irvine. Rivers also said that Rondo will be with the team during the season in an unspecified role.

"You'll see him a lot," Rivers said. "That's all I'll say."

Rondo played under Rivers early in his career for the Boston Celtics, where the two won a championship together in 2008. When the three-time assists leader officially announced his retirement from basketball in April, he said he "absolutely" wanted to be an NBA coach, according to Holmes.

Just a few months later, he has his first chance to serve on an NBA staff.

"There's a lot of factors that go into coaching," Rondo said. "You just can't say, I'm going to be a coach, and then everything works out and that's how it happens. So certain personalities have to mesh, [and there's] a lot of sacrifice. There are certain things that I'm learning. The morning meetings, the amount of hours you're spending watching film, it's a lot."

Rondo's basketball IQ was evident throughout his career as he made impossible passes look easy and directed his teammates all over the court. Rivers recognized that IQ when he coached Rondo.

"He's the smartest player I've ever coached -- and not just smart," Rivers said. "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."

While the common trajectory for former players to become coaches has been retiring, joining a staff as an assistant and eventually becoming a head coach, Rondo recognized that there's no linear path to a coaching career and right now he just wants to "seek as much information as possible."

His first step is learning from an all-time great in Rivers, and he could eventually be leading a team of his own someday.