Why Ryan Rollins, 'one of the most annoying guards' in the NBA, is a huge Bucks X-factor this season

Late on Tuesday night, after he had led the Milwaukee Bucks to a 121-111 victory over the New York Knicks, and brushed off more questions about trade rumors, Giannis Antetokounmpo said it was "too early to give compliments" about the team's new starting point guard, Ryan Rollins. 

Antetokounmpo then launched into a detailed explanation of Rollins' importance to the team, and the work he's put in to improve on both sides of the ball, which lasted nearly three minutes.

"He's been playing incredible," Antetokounmpo said. "Defensively, he's one of the most annoying guards, probably, in the league. He's making the right reads. He's able to play with me, come off the bench, pretty much does everything. I love playing with him. He's been playing incredible with the team."

Rollins was a second-round pick back in 2022, and has bounced around the league since then, in part due to his own off-court mistakes. (In Jan. 2024, Rollins was arrested and accused of shoplifting from Target. He later plead guilty to one count of petit larceny.) He appears to have found a home with the Bucks, however, and may be the answer to their backcourt questions.

After Damian Lillard tore his Achilles in the playoffs, the team waived him and stretched his contract, which freed up the cap space to sign Myles Turner. While Turner's arrival helped shore up the Bucks' frontcourt, swapping an All-Star guard for a center left the Bucks' backcourt as thin as it has been since the team became a contender back in 2019. 

In the summer, general manager Jon Horst decided to take a by-committee approach and re-signed Rollins, Kevin Porter Jr. and Gary Trent Jr., signed Cole Anthony and gave AJ Green an extension. All are solid rotation players, but one of the big questions about the Bucks this season was whether any of them could take another step. The answer will not only help determine how far the team can go in the Eastern Conference, but whether Antetokounmpo sticks around beyond this season. 

The early signs suggest Rollins may be the one to make a leap. Porter rolled his ankle in the Bucks' season-opening win over the Washington Wizards, and hasn't played since. Rollins replaced him in the starting lineup, and it may be difficult to send him back to the bench once Porter is healthy. 

Through four games, Rollins is averaging 15.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and three steals per game -- tied for first in the league -- on 47.6/35/100 shooting splits. Against the Knicks, he poured in a career-high 25 points to go along with four assists and four steals to help the Bucks improve to 3-1. 

Thus far, the Bucks are 8.2 points per 100 possessions better with Rollins on the floor than when he sits. His on-off splits with Antetokounmpo are particularly interesting.

When Antetokounmpo called Rollins one of the "most annoying guards" in the league, he wasn't lying. Rollins is tied for first in the league in steals per game (three) and third in deflections (5.5). He is willing and able to pick up opposing ball-handlers fullcourt, and if they aren't ready for that pressure, it's going to be a long night. Even when he isn't getting steals or deflections, his pressure disrupts what other teams are trying to do -- either by forcing them to run extra shot clock or have a secondary ball-handler bring up the ball.

Watch this possession against the Knicks. He picks Brunson up 90 feet from the basket, makes him turn his back and give the ball up, presses Brunson when he gets the ball back, creates a deflection with high hands, stays attached to Brunson as he takes a tough pull-up, then jumps into the passing lane for a steal as the Knicks tried to save the offensive rebound. 

Perhaps it's no surprise that Rajon Rondo, who is working as a coaching associate with the Bucks on a part-time basis, has become a mentor for Rollins. "Once I fouled out [in the preseason game] I knew my capabilities defensively," Rollins said Tuesday. "I knew that I could stay in front of these guys and make it tough for them. So I'm not surprised at what I can do, it's just learning and being better at it."

Here's 90 seconds of Rollins being annoying on defense:

Rollins can guard, and the Bucks want him to focus his efforts on that side of the ball. "If I had my druthers, I'd want him to keep his defensive intensity, that's more important than anything," Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. But as long as Porter remains out -- and perhaps even beyond that point, depending on how the rest of the backcourt is performing -- the Bucks will need Rollins to contribute on both ends. 

Rollins' pick-and-roll playmaking has been solid, but not spectacular. On his 53 pick-and-roll possessions, including shots and passes, the Bucks are scoring 1.132 points per possession, which ranks in the 76th percentile in the league, per Synergy Sports. 

He's shooting 35% from 3-point range, but was 3 of 16 in his first three games before going 4 of 4 against the Knicks. Rollins' 3-point shooting will be a key stat to watch. He shot 40.8% last season on 2.1 attempts per game, but did not have a meaningful amount of attempts in the NBA before that. In his two years at Toledo in college, he shot 88 of 278 from behind the arc (31.7%). Playing alongside Antetokounmpo, there will be 3-point opportunities for Rollins. 

Antetokounmpo was only half-joking when he said it was "too early to give compliments" to Rollins. Consistency is major separator in the NBA. Can Rollins keep up this level of play over the course of a full season? If he can, the Bucks will be better than everyone expected prior to the season. 

"I know my capabilities. I've been saying that for a while now. I just needed the opportunity and the platform to be able to go out there and play through mistakes and play my game," Rollins said. "I feel like I'm doing that now. [But there's] a lot more to do, so [I have to] keep growing."