Ryan Rollins has been a great breakout player this season, but he showed on Saturday night that he’s not ready to lead the Bucks on his own just yet.
In a matchup against the red-hot Pistons, Rollins struggled mightily in the first half as the Pistons got out to a big lead. He did turn it around in the second half to finish with a solid stat line, but Rollins showed that he needs more support to be at his best.
Ryan Rollins needs to improve his maturity
Rollins had the unfortunate matchup of being guarded by Ausar Thompson for most of the game. The Pistons have one of the league’s top defenses this season, and Thompson spearheads the unit. It’s no surprise that the Bucks would struggle against such a high-caliber defense without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the extent of the struggle was startling.
On the first several possessions, the Bucks had multiple plays where they couldn’t get anything going at all. They had a shot-clock violation and a Rollins turnover in which he was stripped as he set up a play, leading to an easy runout dunk for Thompson. It was a disastrous start for a team looking to find new sources of offense without their best player.
Rollins had another similar turnover with the same result just before halftime. Thompson was bothering his dribble all night, even bringing the ball up from the backcourt. Eventually, the Bucks had to resort to other ball handlers bringing the ball up or setting screens for Rollins in the backcourt.
Rollins’ response to this aggressive defense was disappointing. He struggled to compose himself on the court and picked up a technical after beating Thompson’s physicality just before halftime. In the third quarter, Rollins also had an offensive foul where he elbowed Thompson in the face to free up space. The play was reviewed for a flagrant foul, but was ultimately deemed a common foul.
Still, the elbow looked very intentional, and Rollins was lucky not to get tossed out of the game after his earlier technical. His lack of composure emphasized his young age (still just 23 years old) and lack of experience as a primary option.
Fortunately, he did offer some silver lining with this resilience in the second half. Rollins was the only starter to play significant minutes in the fourth quarter and did his best to bring the game back within reach, scoring ten points in the final frame.
Ryan Rollins has exceeded all expectations this season and has easily been the Bucks’ second-best player. But his struggles against the Pistons showed that he will need more support from his teammates and creative coaching to succeed without Giannis.