A few days removed from their thrilling NBA Cup title-clinching victory over the young OKC Thunder, the Milwaukee Bucks returned to regular season action Friday night.
This time, they took on the Cleveland Cavaliers, a Central Division foe with the best record in the NBA. If the Bucks didn't already have their hands full enough, they would also be without Damian Lillard for this one as he battles a calf strain. With all of that factored in, it was far from the best effort we have seen from the Milwaukee Bucks this season.
Milwaukee's biggest lead in the game was a single point, which came very early on, while Cleveland built up a daunting 36-point cushion at one point. It was raining 3-pointers for the Cavaliers, who got good looks consistently due to some lackluster transition defense by Milwaukee. They used that to cruise to a 124-101 victory.
There wasn't much to like on Milwaukee's end in this one, but there was at least one positive note.
Bucks' Ryan Rollins earned extended minutes and flexed his potential
Since suffering a shoulder injury on November 12, Ryan Rollins had played just four minutes for the Milwaukee Bucks after previously showing signs of being a breakout candidate. The most prominent reason for that was likely due to the severity of Rollins' injury, as surgery was on the table. However, he has opted to play through it for now, and he showed in Cleveland that he can still perform.
In 12 minutes, Rollins looked like a natural out there after shaking off some initial rust, shooting 4-of-7 from the floor, including 1-of-2 from deep, to score nine points. Elsewhere, he dished out two assists. His defense, which helped him leap into the rotation in the first place, was also strong, as he hounded opponents and tallied three steals.
Nagging shoulder injury or not, it's very clear that Rollins can still help this team and that Doc Rivers should work him back into the mix. He should be in the fold in games where Milwaukee doesn't have Damian Lillard, especially as Milwaukee's lack of creation at the guard spot was a glaring weakness in this particular matchup. On top of that, the defense and scoring can certainly help this team.
With a game against the Washington Wizards up next, it's unclear if Damian Lillard will be back for the Milwaukee Bucks or not. If not, Rollins should undoubtedly get some extended burn. He could pick up right where he left off pre-injury as a possible breakout candidate for this team.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.