Bucks’ Ryan Rollins has a secret skill that he’s doing better than anyone in the NBA originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Ryan Rollins has taken the NBA by storm in the early going for the Milwaukee Bucks.
It’s easy to notice the points and assists totals for the talented point guard who was once a Golden State Warriors second-round draft pick.
But there’s something Rollins is doing better than anyone in the entire NBA, and it’s subtler.
Rollins is the king of deflections.
It didn’t seem like anyone in the league could keep up with Hawks star Dyson Daniels in that stat. It was one of the reasons Daniels felt like he was robbed a bit for not winning 2025 Defensive Player of the Year.
This season, though, Rollins is outdoing Daniels in deflections, pretty substantiatlly.
Check out this chart and stat from The Sporting News’ Stephen Noh:
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If Rollins can keep that up, his impact on this Bucks season will be even greater than it has initially seemed.
Point guard was a major question for Milwaukee this season. Damian Lillard tore his Achilles and then was traded away, so it wasn’t clear how the Bucks would fill his spot.
Rollins (with good backup minutes from Cole Anthony) has done it as well as Milwaukee could’ve hoped.
Next time you watch the Bucks, keep on eye on Rollins’ hands defensively. It won’t be long until he’s getting in the way of the basketball.