The time that Ryan Rollins spent on the court for the Golden State Warriors was brief, as he averaged only 5.2 minutes per game across 12 contests as a rookie during the 2022-23 season that was dampened by a stress fracture in his foot. The following offseason, they traded him to the Wizards as part of the Chris Paul deal. Little did they know that a little over two years later, Rollins would be enjoying the start of a breakout season.
In Rollins' fourth season in the league, he's averaging a career-high 16.9 points, 5.4 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game for the Bucks, shooting 52.6% from the field and 45.7% from three. He's started in 12 of the 13 games he's played, averaging 31.1 minutes per contest.
Rollins went from being an afterthought to being one of the top early-season candidates for the Most Improved Player of the Year award. He's exploded onto the scene in his second full season in Milwaukee, leading the Bucks in a way that no one expected after they decided to waive-and-stretch Damian Lillard after he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the 2024 playoffs.
Questions swirled around Milwaukee during the offseason, the majority of them speculating on whether Giannis Antetokounmpo would start the season with the Bucks. He's been playing on another level, even for his standards, but what Rollins has done for Milwaukee so far this season has been the real surprise.
Ryan Rollins has quickly turned into one of the Bucks' most important players
The Warriors fans who had forgotten about Rollins were given a harsh reminder of where he came from on Oct. 30 when he dropped a career-high 32 points (13-of-21), eight assists, and three rebounds in 36 minutes during Milwaukee's 120-110 win (without Giannis) over Golden State.
At that point, Rollins was coming off a 25-point performance (and that was his career best for two days) in a win over the Bucks. He had already started to make headlines ahead of his matchup against the Warriors, but he took things to another level versus his former team. It was hard to believe that he was the player who started his career in San Francisco three seasons before.
Rollins had a solid 2024-25 season with the Bucks, averaging 6.2 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game in 56 games (19 starts). As encouraging as that was then, no one, at least no one outside of the Bucks organization, predicted that he'd start the season out like this, especially not coming back from shoulder surgery. Just like the Warriors didn't think he'd drop 32 points against them a few years after they traded him.
If only there had been a way to look into the future.