The Milwaukee Bucks have had their ups and downs trying to fit Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. together on the court, balancing the workload and ball-handling opportunities in a way that maximizes each player’s output. Earlier this season, concerns over whether Rollins’ growth was being impacted by playing alongside Porter led to a brief experiment bringing him off the bench.
Later, with Giannis Antetokounmpo briefly back healthy, Porter took a seat. For now, anyway, since Porter’s return from an oblique injury, he and Rollins are back in the starting five together and looking the part of the dynamic duo the Bucks need them to be.
Friday night against the Pacers, Milwaukee got 20-plus points apiece from its starting backcourt. Porter added seven rebounds, eight assists, and three steals. Rollins contributed four boards and dimes each and went 4-for-8 from distance. It was a perfect script for the combined excellence the Bucks would love to see on a nightly basis from the second and third best players on the team.
Porter, the designated “veteran” despite being just 25 himself, is beyond impressed with what his backcourt mate has shown in his first full season as a starter.
Rollins’ rise hasn’t gone unnoticed by his running mate in the backcourt
“Yeah, man, I can’t harp on it enough,” Porter said after the win over Indiana. Ry-Lo has taken the biggest leap. And we need him to. Giannis is out. [Taurean Prince] is out. We’ve been battling injuries and he’s been there, holding the fort.”
First after undergoing meniscus surgery and then with his recent oblique issue, Porter himself has missed half the games this season. Giannis has missed 20 and is averaging under 30 minutes per contest due to leaving games hurt and having to play on a minutes restriction at various points this season.
Prince is done for the year. Kyle Kuzma missed Friday with calf soreness. Gary Harris had missed several in a row with a hamstring strain before returning versus the Pacers. Every game, it seems, someone has something.
Rollins has answered the bell in every way. Earlier this season with both Porter and Giannis sidelined, he led the offense as the number one option. Recently he had to do it again in the same scenario.
Rather than shying away from the spotlight, Rollins has turned a heaping plate of responsibility into an exponential increase in production. Last season, he played in 56 games, made 19 starts, and averaged 14.6 minutes per night. He averaged 6.2 points and spent most of the season on a two-way contract.
This season, Rollins is averaging 16.9 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.6 rebounds, plus 1.5 steals. He is shooting 46.6% from the field and 40.8% on threes. He has thrust himself into the conversation for Most Improved Player (at this point, however, Blazers All-Star Deni Avdija is running away with it).
Bucks fans entered the year with high hopes, but this type of leap in his age 23 season is far beyond what anyone imagined. Amid injuries and an obvious lack of firepower, Rollins has been key to keeping the Bucks afloat at all.
“He just got to continue to do that,” Porter said. “Like, we don’t want Ry-Lo to change anything. We want him to keep continuing to grow and, you know, hopefully we’re going to make a playoff run, playing whatever that looks like. And we’re gonna need him.”
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