Rise of Bucks Guard May Have Saved 2025-26 Season, Giannis Antetokounmpo's Milwaukee Future

Nov 7, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Ryan Rollins (13) passes the ball away from Chicago Bulls guard Tre Jones (30) in the second quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Before the start of the NBA season, questions swirled around Bucks star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo's future with the team.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported before the start of the season that Antetokounmpo would considering moving on from the Bucks via trade if they did not seem like a championship contender.

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Fortunately for Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo has little to be upset about through the Bucks' first stretch of the season.

At 6-4 on the year, the Bucks are looking every bit of a championship contender, due large in part to Antetokounmpo's MVP-worthy performance, but also because of contributions from emerging role players.

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Specifically, Ryan Rollins has impressed in his increased role in the Bucks' offense, scoring a season-high 32 points in the Bucks' Antetokounmpo-less win over the Golden State Warriors. Rollins, entering his fourth year in the league, is averaging 16.7 points and 5.4 assists per game.

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

In a column listing the teams that appear to have been underrated going into the season, CBS Sports' John Gonzalez named Rollins' ability to step up in place of injured starting point guard Kevin Porter Jr. as a major reason behind the team's success.

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"Point guard threatened to be a real concern coming into the season, and the situation further deteriorated when Kevin Porter Jr., the early pick for the job, made it through nine minutes of the first game before a knee injury sidelined him," Gonzalez wrote. "Into that void stepped Ryan Rollins, a guy who averaged 6.1 points and 1.9 assists in his first three NBA seasons."

Rollins' performance hasn't gone unnoticed by his two-time MVP teammate.

"I love, I love, I love Ryan Rollins," Antetokounmpo said before the season. "He's improved a lot this year. His confidence is at an all-time high right now. That's the first thing I noticed."

For more news and notes on the Milwaukee Bucks, visit Milwaukee Bucks on SI.