It was a difficult weekend for the Milwaukee Bucks, with defeats to the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers showing that despite their good run post All-Star break, they are still just off from being among the top contenders.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard led the team in scoring, while Kyle Kuzma added 14, but everyone else struggled outside of Ryan Rollins, who reminded Doc Rivers that he can help Doc Rivers' team. In just three minutes of garbage time, Rollins scored 10 points on 4-of-5 (80 percent) shooting and made 2-of-3 (66.7 percent) from deep.
When others showed their limitations, the former two-way player showed exactly what he brings to the table, and being a true point guard is exactly what the Milwaukee Bucks need.
Ryan Rollins still has a role to play on this Bucks team
With the Bucks holding Rollins as a two-way player before converting him to a full contract, he hadn't played in seven games before the Sunday night game against the Cavs. Kevin Porter Jr. has been a good addition for the Milwaukee Bucks with his scoring off the bench, especially after his triple-double against the Dallas Mavericks.
Porter struggled against Cleveland with just two points in 10 minutes, but he wasn't the only one. AJ Green has struggled of late and scored just two points and Gary Trent Jr. scored three points on an awful 1-of-9 (11.1 percent) shooting. The big difference between the Bucks and Cavs was the unselfish offense of the Cavs, spreading the ball around and scoring as a committee while the Bucks relied on Giannis and Lillard, but so many failed to have any impact on the game.
Milwaukee took poor quality shots, contested shots and just ran far too many isolations. What Rollins gives you is a true point guard off the bench, one that can dictate the tempo and run the offense when Lillard sits. Porter is very much a score-first type of guard, and he has been brilliant at that, but when they need him to slow the game down in the half court he doesn't have the natural playmaking of Lillard and Rollins.
He also showed his own ability to score with Green and Trent struggling. Trent has been solid all season, and it seemed like just an off night in his return, but with Green, it is becoming a worry that he hasn't seemed like himself since the All-Star weekend on both ends of the floor. As a specialist shooter, he relies on the point guard to create opportunities for him, and if he doesn't have that, he does have very little impact on the offense with a lack of shot creation and scoring off the dribble.
Rollins isn't a player that the Bucks need to play major minutes, but when Lillard sits, having that true facilitator is key to bringing the best out of the other bench players. He also has shown he can add scoring-wise, too. Look at Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard and how he has become a vital part of their roster having impressed in garbage time minutes. Rollins can become that sort of player and just add some calmness to a team that shows a lack of creativity that the top teams excel in.
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