The Chicago Bulls are prominently in the midst of a head coach search as a result of former head coach Billy Donovan stepping down from the organization at the conclusion of the Bulls’ 2025-26 NBA regular season.
In parallel, two-time NBA champion and former Bulls point guard Rajon Rondo has formally evolved into an NBA head coaching candidate courtesy of interviewing for the New Orleans Pelicans head coach position in April 2026, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic, before they hired Jamahl Mosley.
Rajon Rondo's basketball knowledge has always been recognized as something beyond mere basketball player knowledge. Rondo played with a coach's mind on the court.
Rondo’s NBA playing career earned him a reputation for being a head coach on the court, and that reputation, plus his relationship with his former Boston Celtics head coach, Glenn “Doc” Rivers. Rondo joined Rivers’ Milwaukee Bucks coaching staff for two of three NBA seasons in Rivers’ tenure as Bucks head coach.
Nehm’s profile of Rondo in his column at The Athletic went into great detail about the working relationship Rondo established with Bucks point guard Ryan Rollins. Rollins had a breakout 2025-26 NBA season with the Bucks, maturing from a Bucks two-way contract signing in the previous 2024-25 NBA season to the Bucks' lead guard during their 2025-26 regular season campaign.
Rollins started 67 games for the 2025-26 Bucks and averaged career highs in points (17.3), rebounds (4.6), assists (5.6), and steals (1.5) per game. Rondo coaching and player development impact on a 23-year-old Ryan Rollins should be noteworthy to the Bulls, as they have their own 23-year-old point guard with development needs.
What if Rajon Rondo is the point-guard whisper Josh Giddey needs?
Barring a blockbuster shake-up of the Bulls roster during the 2026 NBA offseason, Josh Giddey will enter his third NBA season as the Chicago Bulls’ starting point guard. To his credit, Giddey made positive strides in his 2025-26 NBA season per game statistical categories that give some Bulls fans optimism that Giddey will one day ascend to All-Star potential: 17.0 points, 9.1 assists, and 7.6 rebounds per game.
However, Josh Giddey’s overall contributions to the Bulls’ limited team success are good, not great. Giddey’s NBA limitations are well-documented: defense, lack of athleticism, and limited half-court offensive creation.
Rajon Rondo, as an NBA player, thrived early in his career as a starting NBA point guard whose primary limitation was shooting, and offset that limitation with elite defense and playmaking. In addition to his two NBA championship rings, Rondo cemented his NBA legacy with four NBA All-Defensive team selections, four NBA All-Star game selections, three NBA assists titles, and one NBA steals title.
Rondo’s player pedigree is a perfect learning asset for Josh Giddey to leverage into a pronounced leveling-up of his standing among NBA players, ideally evolving from being a good passer to becoming a great NBA All-Star.
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