As if Bucks fans needed any more reason to love Ryan Rollins, the team's 2025-26 breakout star is back in the gym working with one of the greatest guards of all-time in preparation for one of the most pivotal seasons in Milwaukee Bucks franchise history. And based on the highlights that were posted, Rollins could be in line for another leap in his fourth season with the team.
The 24-year-old Detroit native was in the lab with performance trainer Josh Hines for a two-man session that included Cleveland Cavaliers guard and NBA legend James Harden this summer, as Hines posted to Instagram. These were half-court game simulation drills in which Harden and Rollins navigated multiple lengthy defenders to either score or pass to the other for a shot, and they undoubtedly understood the assignment.
Rollins was navigating the lane, finishing through coverage, passing through defenders, stepping back for triples, and exploding to the rim from the perimeter to finish at the basket. He looks spry, engaged, and frankly, it looked like he picked up a trick or two from Harden, who ranks 9th in the NBA's all-time leading scorer rankings.
We can't get too hung up on offseason workout videos, but there's something a little bit different about seeing Ryan Rollins outshine James Harden that sets this one apart.
Ryan Rollins doesn't want to cede his starting point guard role for the Milwaukee Bucks, and his offseason regimen proves it.
While Rollins was one of the first players to link up with the new Bucks at NBA Summer League after the Giannis trade, that doesn't mean he's willing to give up his role on the team. Earning the trust of Doc Rivers as a young player is hard enough, but Rollins accomplished that fresh into his Bucks tenure to the point that eventually, the team handed him the keys as starting point guard.
After getting a taste of life as an NBA starter and 17-point-per-game scorer with elite defense and a stuffed stat sheet, Ryan Rollins isn't going to give that up easily, and that requires outworking the competition. The Bucks will have to make a decision between starting him or Kevin Porter Jr. at the one, as Tyler Herro presumably takes over at the starting shooting guard this season.
So not only is Rollins using this workout to practice sharing the court with another elite guard, but he's building the confidence needed not to defer to someone like that. Harden is as elite of a ball-handling guard as you could work with and in the clips, Rollins doesn't defer to him once.
Once training camp and pre-season roll around, the Bucks are going to see just how motivated Ryan Rollins is to build on the momentum of Year 3 in Milwaukee and prove that he's only scratching the surface of his potential in the NBA.
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