Now 21 games into the regular season, Doc Rivers is still finding the perfect rotation for the Milwaukee Bucks. And that's fair.
There's a lot of potential in the roster, but it's not necessarily easy to maximize. Given how the team struggled in the first weeks of the season, he's done a good job finding everybody's role and fit. But there are still some things he still needs to tweak.
The backup guard position is the one area that still feels unsettled since it's been through quite some changes in such a short period of time.
Delon Wright started the season in the role, getting on the floor when Damian Lillard needed a break, but he didn't really stick. Then, Doc Rivers took a look at the bench and gave a chance to Ryan Rollins, who was signed as a two-way player but had shown some flashes of talent in the Summer League and preseason. And once he was on the court, he did it again.
Rollins didn't need much time to show his two-way impact, but he didn't get much time to play, either. Just when he was fully earning his spot in the rotation, Rollins got injured and missed several weeks, making Wright the backup guard again. Funny enough, that brought forth Wright's best basketball of the NBA season.
Wright has really stepped up on defense lately, making it a tougher decision for Rivers to pull him out of the lineup once Rollins was back. Now they're both ready to play, and he needs to pick one of them to be the backup in the rotation. And he needs to nail the call if he wants the Milwaukee Bucks to truly reach their ceiling and fight for a championship.
So, let's break down what can they bring to the team and who feels a better fit next.
Analyzing their very different offensive games
The most glaring difference between these two Milwaukee Bucks guards has to do with their offense.
Despite the sample size not being all that big, Rollins has looked like a pretty good shooter, hitting 50 percent from three both in the preseason and regular season, so even if we assume that number would go down if the attempts increase, he can still be a menace on a hot night.
He's mostly a spot-up shooter, feeling more comfortable when waiting away from the ball, which fits nicely on a roster built around Giannis Antetokounmpo's ball gravity.
Wright, on the other hand, is really struggling with his shooting. Even if he hasn't been a super consistent shooter over his career, he's been mostly solid overall, but not this season. He's actually shooting a career-low 28.1 percent despite most of them being quite open, becoming a liability at times since some defenses aren't often closing in on him.
However, he's been adding value thanks to his experience. He can read the game and understand how he needs to approach every possession, making some smart off-ball cuts and passes that help the team's ball movement. The Bucks are improving their offense thanks to the way they're moving the ball, and even if Wright isn't by any means the main reason for that, he's been helpful at times.
Yet, even then, Rollins feels more comfortable and aggressive with the ball in his hands, being able to score at the rim more often and make some plays. Neither of them is likely to be asked to have a huge role on-ball, especially now with Khris Middleton set to return soon, but it's always good to know you have a backup guard you can trust in that way.
Analyzing their defensive impact
On the defensive end, they both can make an impact, although they also do it in very different ways. Wright relies more on his quick hands, putting some pressure on the ball-handler and making things tough for his matchup. He can get some steals and push the ball when he does, which sometimes leads to the Milwaukee Bucks running fastbreaks and scoring on the open court.
Meanwhile, Rollins is more of an athletic defender. Despite being shorter than Wright, it doesn't really feel like it because he's more athletic and has a bigger wingspan, making better use of his size. He covers more ground with his arms and adds some rim protection and rebounding, making some defensive highlights that stood out in the few games he played before getting injured.
Being more eye-catching doesn't mean being better, though, and the truth is, at their best, they're both really valuable defenders. Depending on the matchup, there's a case for both being the better-suited defender and even if he's being a bit inconsistent, Wright has been working really hard lately.
Who should play?
Nonetheless, Ryan Rollins' impact on the offensive end of the floor should probably earn him another chance to fight for the backup role. Maybe that good stretch he had was fluky, and Rivers is forced to go with Delon Wright again, but there's only one way to know, and that's giving Ryan real minutes. He delivered big time when he was asked to, and now, it's time to trust him to do it again.
In fact, at this point, it feels like the Rollins competition has brought the best out of Wright. He seemed to be the only backup guard at the start of the season, and he didn't feel the need to fight for the spot, but once he saw there was a chance for him to be relegated, he looked way better on the court. Make Ryan Rollins play over him, and that might be the case again.