Ryan Rollins is the NBA's Most Improved Player, and his performance in the Bucks' 122-121 win over Charlotte should have bolstered his case: in 37 minutes, he scored 29 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, and a block. It was an all-around performance from what is starting to look like a legitimate two-way talent next to Giannis Antetokounmpo.
With 51 ticks left on the clock and the Milwaukee Bucks down two, Rollins took a bounce pass from Giannis Antetokounmpo, watched his defender go under the screen, and calmly pulled up from three with surgical precision. Splash. Bucks up one. Despite a shooting foul by Kyle Kuzma that threatened to relinquish the lead, that sequence went on to be the game-saving shot. All because Doc Rivers chose to give him extended minutes this time.
At this point in the season, it couldn't be any more obvious: the NBA is sleeping on Rollins because of the Bucks' record, and the national media doesn't watch Milwaukee games unless Giannis is doing something spectacular. But anyone actually paying attention sees a player who's made one of the biggest jumps in the entire NBA this season.
Ryan Rollins keeps sending a message the NBA can’t ignore
This season, Rollins is putting up 17.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 5.8 assists on 42.2 percent shooting from three. That's up from last year's 6.2 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists, a season where he was sitting on the bench and hoping for an opportunity.
The jump is genuinely unprecedented: Rollins went from scrapping for minutes to something resembling a fringe star leading his team to victory and taking the toughest shots. The lights have clearly not been too bright for the young guard.
Forty-two percent from three on real volume is elite shooting for any guard. Rollins isn't just spotting up either -- he's creating off the dribble, coming off screens, and making defenders respect him beyond the arc. That spacing is what opens up everything else for Milwaukee's offense, and Rollins has the passing chops and basketball IQ to get the passes to his teammates with ease.
"First of all, it's just his 1,000th point. But I thought it was his best playmaking game of the year, you know, and that's all we talked about over the last two days is the next pass. We have a video that we show that everybody misses everybody. You know, it just happens in the game if you collect enough of them. So it's 'get over it and just keep playing'. I thought our guys really did a good job of that...Ryan is just playing. He plays off of Giannis, I think, right now, better than anyone on our team," head coach Doc Rivers said of Rollins' performance in his post-game media availability.
At this point, it's clear that this is who Ryan Rollins is. It isn't just a stretch of good outings anymore, and it's starting to show up in the stats. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Bucks are scoring 7.1 more points per 100 possessions whenever Rollins is on the floor. He's good for the 91st percentile in offensive rating among guards.
The Bucks needed their guards to step up in the post-Damian Lillard era, and Ryan Rollins rose to the challenge. There are certainly more star-studded names out there, but nobody has made the jump that Ryan Rollins has between last season and this. Rollins is unquestionably the NBA's Most Improved Player, and the league can't keep ignoring that anymore.