Ryan Rollins Is Thriving in Milwaukee - and the Warriors Are Feeling It
The Golden State Warriors have made their fair share of tough calls in recent years. One of those came during the 2023 offseason, when they shipped out Ryan Rollins as part of the deal that brought in Chris Paul.
At the time, it made sense - a veteran playmaker to stabilize the offense and maybe squeeze a little more juice out of the championship core. But fast forward to today, and it’s hard not to wonder what could’ve been.
Rollins, now in a Bucks uniform, has taken a leap - and not a small one. He’s averaging 17 points a night, shooting 47% from the field and 38% from deep, while handing out nearly six assists per game.
He’s started 26 games and looks every bit the confident, three-level scorer Milwaukee hoped he could be. Quietly, he’s become a legitimate candidate in the Most Improved Player conversation - not just a feel-good story, but a real contributor on a contending team.
And that’s where the sting hits for Golden State. Because Rollins isn’t just playing well - he’s playing like exactly what the Warriors are missing.
Golden State has struggled to find consistent secondary creation behind Stephen Curry. When defenses throw the kitchen sink at Steph late in games, the offense too often grinds to a halt.
Rollins, with his ability to attack downhill, create off the bounce, and keep the ball moving, would’ve been a perfect complement. That kind of skill set is gold in today’s NBA, especially on a roster that still leans so heavily on one man to generate offense.
To be clear, the Warriors didn’t move Rollins on a whim. Bringing in Chris Paul was a calculated move - a bet that his veteran savvy and floor-general instincts could elevate the team’s ceiling. But what they didn’t anticipate was how quickly that championship window would start to close, or how fast Rollins would develop once given the runway.
In Golden State, Rollins never really had that chance. Minutes were scarce, the rotation was crowded, and the timeline was always urgent.
In Milwaukee, he’s been given the green light to grow - to make mistakes, to learn, and to lead. And he’s responded with one of the most impressive year-over-year jumps in the league.
This isn’t about second-guessing the front office or rewriting history with hindsight. It’s about recognizing a pattern that’s quietly emerged in the Warriors’ post-title era: a recurring struggle to balance win-now urgency with long-term development.
It’s a tough tightrope to walk, especially for a team still trying to compete at a high level while integrating young talent. But sometimes, the cost of leaning too far toward short-term fixes is watching a former player flourish elsewhere - doing the very things your team now lacks.
There’s a certain irony here. The Warriors built their dynasty on player development - turning late lottery picks and overlooked prospects into stars.
But in recent years, that pipeline has slowed. And Rollins’ rise is a reminder that player growth isn’t always linear or predictable.
Sometimes it just takes the right fit, the right timing, and a little patience.
Right now, Warriors fans are watching Rollins thrive in Milwaukee - and wondering what might’ve been if things had broken differently. They’re seeing a player who once wore their jersey become exactly the kind of piece this current roster sorely needs.
And that’s the kind of what-if that tends to linger.