2 Eye-catching Ryan Rollins stats from his starting debut in Bucks' win

The first night of this season's edition of the NBA Cup took place on Tuesday, with the Milwaukee Bucks getting an important win over the Toronto Raptors.

After the Bucks' early struggles, this win was even more crucial and kicked off the group stages on a positive note. Another reason it was important was All-Star Damian Lillard was missing the game due to a concussion, making things more challenging. In his place, two-way guard Ryan Rollins was a part of the Bucks' starting lineup for the first time this season, and he impressed.

He was impactful on both ends of the floor and left the game early after taking a hard fall, but he later claimed it wasn't a serious injury. He should be back for the Detroit Pistons game on Wednesday, in his own words. Rollins and AJ Green made for a young and exciting backcourt, helping fuel the Bucks in their 99-85 win.

Rollins deserves his flowers; as a two-way player, it is always difficult to have an impact, especially on a team with the lofty goals the Milwaukee Bucks have. That said, here are two eye-catching stats from his first start in the NBA.

Perimeter threat with four makes from deep

The guard finished the game with 12 points, with all of his makes coming from 3-point range. He shot 4-of-7 from deep and 4-of-12 in total. Milwaukee hasn't been great from deep, shooting a measly 34.6 percent so far this season, 20th across the league. Having another guard that can hit shots from deep consistently is a big plus. Backcourt mate AJ Green has shown over his previous two seasons with the Bucks that this can do wonders for a two-way player and lead to greater opportunities.

It wasn't a brilliant game from either side from deep, with the Bucks hitting 16-of-56 (28.6 percent) and the Raptors shooting 9-of-25 (36 percent), but at least the Bucks won the battle in that regard, which has been a consistent factor in their defeats. Those four makes from Rollins helped.

When Damian Lillard returns, Rollins will see his minutes and shot attempts drop, but it's clear to say he is the bona fide backup point guard for the Milwaukee Bucks moving forward.

Defensive effort helps Rollins claim five steals

This was where Rollins really showed out in Tuesday's win. Five steals by any player is impressive, but to do it in your first NBA start as a two-way player shows immense hustle from the guard. As many have called for, the Milwaukee Bucks' younger players continue to have a positive impact on the team and bring something to the table that the veterans can't: energy.

All offseason, it was made clear the Bucks needed youth and athleticism added; it felt like it had been addressed with additions to the roster, but clearly, once the season started, it wasn't enough. Even just seeing Rollins and Green contest threes, they are so much quicker on the perimeter than some of the other players, and that slight difference in speed can throw off an opponent.

Milwaukee's defense still needs a lot of work, with the defensive rating currently sitting at 113.1. The introduction of the younger guys into the rotations has been a positive, but there is still progress to be made, and Rollins can definitely be part of that.

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