Washington Wizards: Ryan Rollins earned himself rotation minutes

Ryan Rollins, one of the Washington Wizards’ latest acquisitions of the summer, has been one of the best players on the Wizards Summer League squad in Las Vegas. The 6’3 combo guard has been impressing with his performance as the primary ball-handler for Washington, earning himself rotation minutes for the 2023-24 season.

Rollins joined the Wizards as part of the Jordan Poole trade, along with Patrick Baldwin Jr. Rollins has been the starting point guard in all three games in the Summer League and did a credible job in a new role on a new team.

In three games, Rollins has averaged 13.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1 block per game. His efficiency hasn’t been ideal but on his shot diet of difficult, self-created attempts, it is understandable. Especially considering he is playing out of position as the primary ball-handler, he has arguably been the best offensive player for the Wizards.

Rollins’ calling card is his offense. He can create shots for himself, score off-the-dribble and run pick & rolls. He has enough juice and versatility offensively to be a scorer off the bench or a cog in the machine alongside starters. He just simply knows how to play, and that is an important skill to have on a team with limited talent.

However, as impressive as his offense has been his defensive activity. As demonstrated by his 7 steals and 3 blocks in three games, he has been very engaged defensively, making plays as a help defender. He plays with effort and rebounds well for his position. He arguably plays bigger than his size.

If he can carry his solid defensive output to the regular season, he will easily make the rotation for the Wizards. In the backcourt depth, he is behind Tyus Jones, Jordan Poole, Bilal Coulibaly, Johnny Davis, and Landry Shamet, assuming Delon Wright gets moved at some point. Considering that Coulibaly and Davis can play small forward too, there is a clear path to playing time for Rollins thanks to his ability to play either guard position.

If Rollins makes his threes more consistently, he could even increase his minutes throughout the season. Things in Washington are currently in flux, so in a scenario where Shamet or Tyus Jones also gets traded mid-season, there could be a big opportunity for Rollins to take an even bigger role. So far, he looks ready for that challenge.