Ryan Rollins had his breakout year with the Milwaukee Bucks last season, and after inking a deal to stick around, he's just getting started. If Rollins, 23, truly wants to take a leap forward, one thing he can do is improve his scoring output. On a team that has completely embraced youth this summer, Rollins may have a golden opportunity in front of him.
A Rollins leap offensively could go a long way for Milwaukee
Non-Bucks fans likely aren't too familiar with Rollins just yet. While he was a nice rotational player in Doc Rivers' lineups, he completely fell out of favor in the NBA Playoffs, where countless outsiders would have been watching. With a new deal and seemingly the full backing of Rivers, Rollins could earn household name status next season.
Perhaps the reason Rollins flew under the radar so much was due to his lack of scoring. While he hit his shots with excellent efficiency, he didn't take many of them. Last season, he shot just 4.8 times per game, averaging 6.2 points in return. In total, he shot 48.7 percent from the floor and 40.8 percent on his triples.
If he can post the same efficiency while upping the shot attempts on a nightly basis, it won't be long before people start to take notice.
Two areas Rollins could look to grow in are his mid-range and above the break three shooting. During the 2024-25 season, he shot 13-of-32 (40.6 percent) in the mid-range and 24-of-68 (35.3 percent) on those above the break threes. That efficiency still isn't terrible, so it would be hard to call those two areas weaknesses, but the percentages were down compared to other spots.
To be clear, the Milwaukee Bucks certainly won't ask Ryan Rollins to be a score-first guard. They love his passing. They love his rebounding. They undoubtedly love his tenacious defense. As long as the guard is doing all of the little things, he will have a place in this rotation. However, if he can do all of that while scoring at will, he could become a lethal Swiss Army Knife at guard.
Whether he starts or comes off the bench, Ryan Rollins will have an opportunity to make himself known to the entire NBA next season. Not making aggressive pushes to sign players like Chris Paul or Malcolm Brogdon shows that Milwaukee has trust in its younger guards, and now, it is time for them to repay the favor next season.
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