Following a prolonged shooting workout, the Milwaukee Bucks’ Ryan Rollins walked around the UCLA campus, only for fans to stop his stroll. Some asked for autographs. Some asked for pictures. Some just shared their appreciation for his play. Giannis Antetokounmpo often sparks this reaction nearly everywhere he goes. To a smaller degree, so does Rollins.

Amid a season filled with injuries, inconsistent results and ongoing speculation about Antetokounmpo’s future, Rollins has represented one of the Bucks’ most enduring bright spots during an otherwise challenging 2025-26 season. Outside of Antetokounmpo’s stellar play, of course.

In his fourth NBA season, Rollins remains on pace to finish with career-highs in points (17.0), assists (5.6), rebounds (4.4) and playing time (31.7 minutes per game). Rollins excelled as the Bucks’ leading point guard while Kevin Porter Jr. missed a combined 19 games with injuries related to either his left ankle or right knee. Rollins also became one of the Bucks’ most dependable scorers while Antetokounmpo missed a combined 14 games with ailments involving his left knee, left adductor and right calf.

“He’s just a tough kid,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said of Rollins. “He works harder than anybody. He takes more shots than anybody on our team. He’s very serious about the game. He has so much more growth potential at the guard spot. He invested a lot of time into it. You can invest a lot of time. But the guy has to be a willing participant, and he is.”

Rivers insists it’s too early to start campaigning for Rollins to win the NBA’s Most Improved Player award, only because three more months of regular-season games await. But with Rollins spending time in the G League amid stops in Golden State (2022-23), Washington (2023-24) and Milwaukee (2024-present), Rivers spoke as if he will lobby for Rollins eventually.

“I like that award to go to people like Ryan instead of a guy that was on the All-Star team the year before, and he got better, and they gave it to him,” Rivers said. “I think players like Ryan are truly one of the most improved players in the league. So as a coach, you’re more worried about him to keep improving, and I think he’ll do that.”

What does Rollins’ improvement look like?

“Being more of a playmaker and seeing when to be aggressive and when not to be aggressive,” Rivers said. “Right now, we’re just telling him to stay aggressive and we’ll work it out. I don’t want him thinking about being a playmaker yet. But we do put him in those positions at times.”

Rollings spoke to EssentiallySports about his improvement and his outlook on the Most Improved Player award. He also touched on Antetokounmpo’s insistence that he won’t request a trade and what it was like to match up against one of his favorite former teammates, Stephen Curry.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one interview has been edited and condensed.

How do you evaluate this season given everything that has been going on?

Rollins: “There have been a lot of injuries and people being out. I feel like, for the most part, we’ve had a lot of ups and downs. So we have to find consistency and we have to find continuity with our group. But for me, I think for the most part that I’ve been pretty good and pretty consistent. My role has changed here and there a little bit. But it’s basketball. This is the NBA. That’s how it goes.”

What’s made you prepared to have a bigger role this season?

Rollins: “Just working. Hard work. It’s no secret. It’s work.”

I see you working after shootaround, too. What’s been your usual routine?

Rollins: “It’s what you just saw. A lot of shooting. I’m taking midrange shots. Everything that I shoot in a game, I work on. I then watch a lot of film.”

What was it like for you to assume point guard duties when Kevin Porter Jr. was out at the beginning of the season?

Rollins: “They just put the ball in my hands a little bit more. I’m willing and able to do that. They gave me the opportunity, so I made the most of it. This is the NBA, so people come back and situations change. I feel like I’m a very versatile dude. I’m plug-and-play anyway. It doesn’t matter to me. I can play on the ball and off the ball. Whatever the coaches need from me, I can do that. I’m able to do that.”

Considering your versatility, what was your mindset and approach when Kevin was out compared to when he returned?

Rollins: “I’ve had the same mindset. I just had the ball in my hands more. So I had more opportunity to make plays and do things on the ball with creating for others and creating for yourself. Off-the-ball, you’re waiting for others to create a little bit more for you. But I still get my opportunity to create for others. Either way, I’m just blessed to be out there.”

You’ve said that you’ve noticed that defenders seem to scout you more lately. How do you think you’re being defended compared to other seasons?

Rollins: “I just get my tendencies picked at a little bit more. That all comes from watching film. That’s what teams will do once the players are good and they’re rolling and they get their groove and mojo. So I expected that this is what it’s supposed to be. They’ve picked up more of my tendencies that I like to do on the offensive end.”

What have they been doing to you?

Rollins: “More physicality and schemes with trying to send me a certain way and not letting me get to my spots in certain areas. It’s stuff like that.”

How have you tried to counter their counters?

Rollins: “If they send me away, I’m going to take that way. I’m going to play the right way. I feel like I can play a lot of ways. They might try to send me a certain way. But I feel like I can go the other way just as good. I’m just playing the game and making reads.”

What was key for you to have your career-high (32 points) against your former team (Warriors)?

Rollins: “I was just playing. I wasn’t really thinking much about it going into the game. I was just hooping, bro. I had a good game, and I was hitting shots. It was fun, though. It was a very competitive game and it was fun. We won that game, and I actually got to bump and battle against the guys that I played with for that one year in practice.”

What did it mean to you for Steph to sign your jersey afterwards?

Rollins: “It was great. It was very fun and competitive. That was dope, bro. Steph is one of the greatest point guards of all time. So for him to do that and sign a jersey for me was awesome. He’s a great dude.”

Afterwards, Steph said he felt happy for you and also “pissed” with how your game came at their expense. What did you think of that?

Rollins: “That’s how it’s supposed to be (laughs).”

How did you prepare trying to guard him?

Rollins: “You just know that he likes to get to his spots. He shoots a lot of contested 3s. He’s Steph. He makes a lot of tough shots. So you have to try to make it as tough as possible with him and be physical with him. You try to get him uncomfortable, but it’s hard.”

How do you prepare for defending other top players?

Rollins: “I watch a lot of film and pick up on players’ tendencies. That’s what they do for me. So that’s the main thing. I watch when they score and where they score. I go out there and be physical with them. I try to make it as tough as possible.”

You’ve said you admire how Giannis is even-keeled through the ups and downs. What examples stand out?

Rollins: “He’s Giannis. He plays great. He averages 30 [points a game] and always puts up big numbers. But whether he plays good or plays bad, he has the same mindset. He’s the same person at the end of the day. If he played well, he’s going to think about the things that he could’ve done better. If he played bad, he’s going to think about some of the good things that he did along with things that he could fix.”

Given that, how did Giannis show that even-keeled personality when he had to sit out for a while with his injury?

Rollins: “He was being consistent, man. With rehab stuff, you got to do what you got to do to come back and be strong. That’s just being a pro. That’s part of the job. That’s what you have to do to be professional and be successful in this job. You have to be consistent with what you’re doing. You have to be even keel. You can’t get too high when things get good or get too low when things don’t go well. That’s the best way to keep your head cool.”

From teammate to teammate, what does it mean to you that Giannis has stressed that he feels loyal to you all?

Rollins: “It’s solidifying for us in a way, knowing that he wants to be here and he’s dialed in. He’s here for his team. He’s been saying that since the season started. He hasn’t changed his outlook or mindset on that. So we’re here, man. We’re trying to streak them together now and get some wins and keep the wins rolling. We’ve been playing pretty well. But we have to streak it out now.”

Beyond good health, what needs to happen so that you can all go on a good winning streak and be more consistent?

Rollins: “Just playing the right way all the time. I feel like we’ve had spurts where we’re playing the right way, moving the ball and getting stops on defense. But then we have lapses where we don’t do that. That creates another lead for the team. I think the more we can play consistent and play the right way, the better for us.”

What’s your outlook on winning ‘Most Improved Player’?

Rollins: “If I get it, I get it. If it’s for me, it’s going to happen. If not, it’s not for me. So I don’t really pay too much attention to it.”

What do you think of Tyrese Maxey and some of your teammates saying you should win the award?

Rollins: “I appreciate them for thinking that I should get it, for sure. They appreciate the hard work and improvements that I’ve made. So I appreciate them saying that I should get it, for sure.”

Speaking of improvement, Doc said the next step is for you to know when to be aggressive. How do you view that?

Rollins: “I think when you play more, you just figure out spots. I think the time of the game is the biggest thing. There is a time and place for everything. That’s the main thing with that. But it’s kind of tough for somebody like me that’s been wired my whole career to figure out when to be aggressive and when to look for other people. I’ll be so aggressive looking for myself to score. So I’ll just play and learn.”

Yeah, it is interesting because Doc even said his message to you so far has always been to be aggressive.

Rollins: “Yeah. When I’m the most aggressive, that’s when I make the most plays for myself and others. I have to keep the aggressiveness up. But I’ll look for others, too.”

Mark Medina is an NBA insider for EssentiallySports. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.