Ham and Rondo could both be on their way to New Orleans.
The coaching rumors around Rajon Rondo are not slowing down, and the people who have watched him up close in Milwaukee think there is a real reason for that.
Rondo spent the last two seasons as a special assistant on Doc Rivers' staff with the Bucks, who went 32-50 this year and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
The 40-year-old four-time All-Star retired from playing in 2022 after logging 16 NBA seasons, and ever since then he has been quietly learning the coaching side of things in Milwaukee.
Ham Sees Real Growth
Darvin Ham, the Bucks' associate head coach who worked alongside Rondo all season, recently talked to The Athletic about what he has noticed from the former point guard behind the scenes.
And his comments went beyond the usual "he's a smart basketball guy" stuff.
"He knows the game, but the art of trying to teach it so the players can comprehend it, that's the part he's picking up," Ham told The Athletic. "The preparation process, how it goes from paper to film to actual on-court methods to after game time, and then, boom, rinse and repeat, so to speak. He's been great, man. He's just very intuitive, really asking questions."
Those words are different considering who is saying them.
Ham played eight seasons in the NBA and then ground through over a decade as an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers, Atlanta Hawks, and Bucks before getting his shot.
He was on the staff that helped Milwaukee win the 2021 championship.
He went on to become head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers from 2022 to 2024, finishing 90-74 with a Western Conference Finals run in year one.
If anybody knows what it actually takes to go from player to coach, it is Ham.
Rondo's Name Keeps Coming Up
And that is why his endorsement matters right now.
Rondo has already interviewed for the Pelicans' head coaching job, and reports have him as one of the frontrunners alongside James Borrego, Steve Hetzel, and even Ham himself.
Rondo played one season in New Orleans back in 2017-18 and helped the franchise win one of just two playoff series in team history.
His playing resume is ridiculous. Two NBA championships, four All-Star nods, three assists titles, 32 career triple-doubles in nearly 1,000 regular season games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo even told reporters he pushed young guard Ryan Rollins to study Rondo's approach daily while they were all together in Milwaukee.
What Comes Next
Nobody has ever questioned whether Rondo understands basketball.
The question has always been whether he can get that across to players who do not see the game the way he does.
Ham went right at that question, and based on everything he said, Rondo is figuring it out faster than most people expected.
If New Orleans wants to bet on a first-time head coach with that level of basketball mind, Ham's endorsement should only make that decision easier.