The Milwaukee Bucks , as expected, have a tough season ahead of them, despite the fact that the East is wide open due to injuries to several big stars. But in every bad situation, there's something good, and Doc Rivers realized that this summer when he lost Damian Lillard at the point guard position after the Bucks moved on from him once it became clear he'd be out for the entire season.
Although he was projected to be the team's starting point guard entering the season, Kevin Porter Jr. played only his second game last night after recovering from injury, which meant Ryan Rollins had to fill that role. But nobody could have expected the Toledo product to look this good to start the season.
"I've been in the NBA 13 years. I've had 200–300 teammates. A jump for a guy that came two years ago to a two-way contract, non-guaranteed, a guaranteed deal, to the player he is today. I don't think I've seen a jump like that in my career," Giannis Antetokounmpo said in a postgame interview.
The 6-foot-3 guard is currently averaging 17.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.7 steals on 48.3 percent shooting and 40.4 percent from deep. Early in the season, he made a strong case for Most Improved Player, and in this gloomy Bucks season, where even Giannis was injured for a stretch, he has definitely emerged as a bright spot that could help salvage the year.
Too often this season, the Bucks have looked like a one-man show, relying exclusively on the heroics of the Greek Freak, which is somewhat understandable. But nobody expected Rollins to become the team's second option, and a significant share of the credit goes to legendary guard Rajon Rondo .
Rivers called Rondo last year to join Milwaukee's staff, and the two-time NBA champion spent time with the team and he has fully emracced the role.
"He's been fantastic. I called him this summer and said, 'Hey, we need you involved.' He watches tons of film. He's chasing guys down, like, no, no, no, we're gonna watch film first. Him, Ryan, Cole, Scoot, they just sit and watch film. They hear my voice all the time. It's great for them to hear someone else," Rivers stressed.
It's clear that Rondo's influence on Rollins has been significant, and if we compare him with other guards in recent seasons, we see that in his first 1,500 career minutes, he has more points than Stephen Curry , Damian Lillard, Jalen Brunson , De'Aaron Fox and Derrick Rose , along with a better field-goal and 3-point percentage.
This further confirms Rollins' potential, and it appears he will be crucial for the rest of the season for the Wisconsin-based team. The Bucks are currently sitting at 9–12, and last night's win over the Brooklyn Nets snapped a seven-game losing streak, their longest such skid since Giannis' rookie year.
It's clear everything still revolves around the 6-foot-11 forward, but Rollins' contribution will be of vital importance as the season progresses. In the 342 minutes they've played together this season, their offensive rating is 126.1, good for a net rating of an astonishing + 12.2 per game.
Among all two-man lineups in the league with at least 300 minutes together, this Bucks duo ranks sixth in offensive rating.
It's clear the Bucks will go as far this season as the Rollins–Antetokounmpo duo can take them.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Dec 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
