Milwaukee Bucks fans have been eager for Ryan Rollins to get a larger role and play consistent minutes for the team for the last several seasons. With his play on Tuesday versus the Knicks and his encore against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Friday night, Rollins has officially arrived and looks like far more than just a role player. He looks like a Most Improved Player contender.
Ryan Rollins could be a budding star
Rollins has always had intriguing tools that signaled that he could have real potential. His ballhawking defense, led by his 6-foot-10-inch wingspan, combined with his consistent shooting, especially from long range (41 percent last season), had many people, including the Bucks' front office, very high on the fourth-year guard.
For the longest time, all the potential people saw in Rollins seemed to be just that, potential. With his career-high against Jalen Brunson and the Knicks in a signature win for the team, followed by a true superstar-like performance leading a Giannis-less team against a hot Warriors team, we finally saw the potential so many have been excited about play out in meaningful minutes against legitimate competition.
Rollins did everything for Milwaukee against Golden State. He scored from all over the court with a game-high 32 points (a new career high over his previous career high that came against New York just two days earlier). He set up his teammates with another game-high eight assists.
Most importantly, he settled the team down with clutch play after play as Draymond Green and the Warriors ramped up the intensity down the stretch. The only question is whether he will maintain this high level of play. If he can, the sky is the limit.
With inspiring performances like this, not only is Ryan Rollins on pace to be a legitimate contender for Most Improved Player (he may be the frontrunner at the moment), but if he keeps this up, he could be a budding young star that Milwaukee Bucks fans get to enjoy for years to come. The season is early, and there are many games to go, but there is no reason to believe Rollins can't continue to affect games on both ends of the court.
With so many people wondering who the second option would be for this team heading into the season. Ryan Rollins is on pace to take that mantle and could be a running mate for Giannis that propels this team into contention in a weak Eastern Conference. The potential has always been there, but seeing it come to fruition in real time has been a thing of beauty.