Moving Ryan Rollins to the bench was supposed to give him more opportunities. Since Kevin Porter Jr. returned from injury, Rollins has faded offensively. Splitting them up, rather than starting both, should, in theory, maximize their shot-creating abilities.
The Bucks aren't maximizing anything, however, when Rollins isn't even on the floor. In Sunday's loss to Minnesota, he played just 23 minutes. Porter and Rollins aren't just the Bucks' best shot creators with Giannis Antetokounmpo injured. They are the team's best and second-best players. They need to play.
Benching Rollins was already questionable. If his minutes stay down and the Bucks keep losing, Doc Rivers' gamble is going to look a lot worse than that.
Bring Rollins off the bench is fine. Just don't forget to play him
Rollins made the most of his limited action, providing 16 points and five assists versus zero turnovers. Meanwhile, Porter scored 24 points in 37 minutes. A similar story played out against Toronto, the debut of this new-look lineup. That time, Rollins played 28 minutes while Porter played a team-high 40. It's not that the Milwaukee Bucks need less of Porter. They just need more Rollins.
True, pairing them in the starting five reduced some of the on-ball involvement for Rollins. In seven games starting with Porter, Rollins averaged 13.3 points and six assists. Overall this season, he is averaging 17 points and 5.9 assists. The statistical dip matched the eye test as Rollins was deployed more often in off-ball action or as a spot-up shooter than as the primary facilitator.
In that sense, the switch has worked. In his last two games, Rollins is scoring and shooting a bit more. He is averaging 14.5 shot attempts versus 12.3 attempts in those prior seven games. When he's on the court, he has the ball in his hands. The problem is that he is on the court a lot less than he could be. It's not a good look for an offense desperate for production in general and playmakers in particular.
Bringing him off the bench gives him a chance to have the show all to himself while Porter takes a breather. That doesn't mean they shouldn't play together at all. Reduced usage or not, Rollins is a better option than AJ Green and Gary Trent Jr. when they are out there chucking bricks. The two of them combined to shoot 3-for-19 against the Timberwolves. Trent started versus the Raptors and went 1-for-8.
Yet Green, likely still on pitch count, matched Rollins' minutes on Sunday. Trent edged him as well against Toronto. Rollins was not in real foul trouble in either game. A bench role is limiting his minutes by default.
Just looking at his recent starts might not make that apparent. But the game in Brooklyn was over by halftime. Five fouls limited him somewhat against the Celtics. He had an off night shooting against the Pistons.
In his other four games starting with Porter, Rollins averaged close to 34 minutes per night. He is at 31.6 for the season. Regardless of his role, the Bucks can't afford to restrict his playing time when they have no better options. It's not just the playmaking element. That's the new part of his game. Rollins is also excellent on catch-and-shoot chances and a top-notch defender.
The end goal of the lineup change is getting more, not less, out of the team. That's not going to work when Rollins isn't getting his fair share. If this keeps up, Bucks fans already pleading for a head coaching change are just going to get louder.