Coming into the year without Damian Lillard, one massive question loomed over the Milwaukee Bucks: who was going to be the starting point guard?
While former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo essentially plays point forward, Milwaukee still needs a steady guard in the secondary ball-handler role. Kevin Porter Jr. initially had the job, but he went down just nine minutes into the year. So, the emergence of fourth-year guard Ryan Rollins has been a godsend for Milwaukee.
With Giannis and KPJ both missing huge chunks of the season, the ball has been in Rollins’ hands a ton. As such, he’s had all season to grow and develop with such crucial reps.
This season may look like a lost cause for the Bucks, who will miss the postseason for the first time in a decade. However, the rise of Rollins as a key player offers some optimism for the future.
Rollins Exceeding Expectations
Rollins’ development has been very exciting for Bucks fans to watch. While the organization has whiffed on nearly every draft pick since Giannis, they may have found their diamond in the rough. At just 23 years old, Rollins is bringing excitement and optimism to a team that desperately needs it.
Rollins was expected to be just a role player this year, but he quickly showed that he was more than that. In back-to-back breakout performances, he posted career-highs in points in the season’s first month. The Toledo product put up 25 points in a 121-111 victory over the Knicks. He then immediately followed it up with 32 points and eight assists in a 120-110 win over the Warriors with Giannis out.
Rollins dazzled against Golden State, shooting 13-for-21 overall and 5-for-7 from three-point range. It’s not just about offense for him, though, as he’s also demonstrated tremendous defensive ability.
Two-Way Star
While he took a back seat to Giannis when the star has been healthy, he’s been a reliable scorer all season. Antetokounmpo will likely finish fewer than half of the Bucks’ games. That hurts Milwaukee’s record, but it has helped Rollins develop quickly by allowing him to take on a heavier workload.
In February, Rollins thrived, averaging 20.9 points per game. He also shot over 50% from the field and from three on 6.6 attempts per game from deep. Rollins started the month off with four straight 20-point performances, bouncing back from a quieter January. He continued his hot streak, scoring 20+ points in seven of the 10 games he played in February. Rollins’ best performance from both sides of the ball was in a Feb. 20 win vs. New Orleans. Offensively, he hit seven threes and had 27 points and six assists. Defensively, he put up four steals and two blocks.
This year, Rollins has played in 68 games (61 starts) and is averaging 16.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. Those are all obviously career highs. He’s also shooting 47% from the floor and 41.2% from deep (on nearly six attempts per game).
Now, turnovers have been an issue of late, but just getting the reps has helped Rollins grow as a player. While he seems to be more of a combo guard than a point guard, his playmaking has been much improved despite the turnover bug. While the scoring has dipped a bit, Rollins is averaging about seven assists per game this month. In fact, he has had seven or more assists in nine games during the month of March.
Rollins put it all together by leading the Bucks to an improbable win against Phoenix on Saturday. He showed off his versatile game with 26 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. For a guy who could barely even earn a roster spot, Rollins sure has come a long way.
Cut to Crucial
As breakout seasons go, this is about as big as it gets for Rollins, as he is a candidate for the Most Improved Player Award. In 2024-25, he averaged just 15 minutes in 56 games. Before that, he wasn’t even a thought. Rollins was drafted 44th overall in 2022 by the Atlanta Hawks and immediately dealt to the Warriors, where he played a grand total of 12 games. He was then traded to Washington in the Chris Paul trade. He played 10 games for the Wizards before getting cut and signing a two-way deal with Milwaukee.
In 2024-25, Rollins cracked the Bucks’ rotation. He averaged 6.2 points per game in 14.6 minutes and displayed strong defense. He also shot nearly 41% from 3. It offered the Bucks hope that they had found a young rotation piece. But this year, Rollins is showing he can be much more than just a rotational guy.
Future Outlook
Rollins is making $4 million this year and next, as he signed a three-year, $12 million deal with the Bucks last offseason. He has a player option after the first two years, which he will likely opt out of if his play continues at this level.
The Bucks were desperate for guard play and limited in team-building options after waiving and stretching Damian Lillard. Therefore, Rollins’ emergence as a legitimate, low-cost starting guard has been a huge gift for the Bucks.
While this season will fall far short of expectations for the Bucks, something more important may have happened. Rollins has emerged as not just a good player, but a potential building block. That is something that no one saw coming. Fans believed that Rollins was a solid role player. But now he looks more like a budding star. For a Bucks franchise with a murky future, identifying Rollins as a core piece is a much-needed source of optimism for Milwaukee fans.
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