Who Is Ryan Rollins?

As the 44th pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2022 NBA Draft and later traded to the Golden State Warriors, there was little expectation that Ryan Rollins would be anything more than a summer league player, or at best a deep bench fixture for the Bay Area team. Combining with a right foot injury heading into and later in the season, Rollins played just 12 games and averaged 5.2 minutes for the Warriors during his rookie season. 

A trade to the basement-dwelling Washington Wizards brought slightly better opportunity and results, but would be short-lived as Rollins was waived midway through the 2023-24 season. Picked up by the Milwaukee Bucks, it was assumed that Rollins would once again be deep in the point guard rotation behind Damian Lillard, Cameron Payne, and Patrick Beverley.  

But then came an unfortunate injury to Lillard, while Payne and Beverley moved on to other teams, providing Rollins with an opportunity, which is sometimes all anyone ever needs. 

With presumed starting point guard Kevin Porter Jr. sidelined with an ankle injury to begin the 2025-26 season, Rollins has taken the ball and run with it, averaging 18.6 points, 5 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.4 steals while shooting 52% from the field. In his first five games of the season, four of which were starts, Rollins has posted double digits in scoring, including 32 and 25 point games and a pair of games with 8 assists, helping the Bucks to a 4-1 start. While not exactly a dominant basketball school, these numbers aren’t surprising when you look at the stat lines that Rollins posted while playing college ball with the Toledo Rockets. 

For a team that was presumed to struggle this year with the loss of their star point guard, the Bucks' start is a massive surprise, with Rollins playing a key role. 

Scoring 32 points against his former Warriors team and 25 points against the heavily favored New York Knicks, Rollins’s early-season play may force head coach Doc Rivers to reconsider his lineup when Porter Jr. returns to health.