Reaction, Analysis: Milwaukee Bucks sign high upside second round pick Ryan Rollins

Even after signing Danilo Gallinari to fill out their standard roster, the Milwaukee Bucks had a pair of two-way roster spots open.

To sum it up, two-way players have to have fewer than four years of NBA experience and cannot play in the playoffs. While signing a player on a two-way deal would not change life for the Bucks, it would allow them to bring in a young player to see occasioal minutes. They could also get them in house to play for the Wisconsin Herd in the G-League.

On Monday, the Milwaukee Bucks filled one of those slots, signing Ryan Rollins, per The Athletic NBA insider Shams Charania. Rollins was the 44th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and has appeared in 22 games in two seasons since being drafted.

Reaction, Analysis: Milwaukee Bucks sign high upside second round pick Ryan Rollins

This is an interesting move by Milwaukee. While Rollins does not have much NBA experience under his belt, he's still just 21 years old, so his best basketball is very well ahead of him. Signing him to a two-way deal gives Milwaukee the chance to see action in the G-League to understand what he may bring to the table currently and potentially moving forward.

In college and stints in the G-League, Rollins showed that he can be a nice scorer, particularly in the mid-range. He also showed glimpses of quality play defensively, which is certainly something that would help the Bucks. In time, the guard could possibly be a decent two-way backup.

Rollins gives Milwaukee a young backup point guard prospect. The Bucks have cycled through plenty of backup point guards year after year, and this gives them an opportunity to scout a potential player for the future. They've also been doing this with TyTy Washington, another guard they picked up with a two-way slot back in August.

Milwaukee's young core now consists of Rollins, Washington, Chris Livingston, MarJon Beauchamp, AJ Green and Andre Andre Jackson Jr. In time, those players could become quality contributors.

Ultimately, this is a fine move. Rollins will likely see little to no time with the Bucks, spending most of his time with the Herd in Oshkosh. Many have wanted to see Milwaukee get younger, and this move could help them do so in time. For now, it's all about getting him in the door and developing. There's potential there waiting to be unearthed, especially on the defensive end.

It must be noted that Rollins had been accused of shoplifting from a Target store multiple times in January, per The Athletic's Joshua Robbins (subscription required). All one can hope for is that the young guard has matured and can be better moving forward. Milwaukee's front office clearly believes he can. Otherwise, they would not have picked him up.

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