4 Young players the Wizards should develop, 4 to give up on
By Tyler Watts
Don’t Develop: Ryan Rollins
The Wizards acquired Rollins for Golden State in the Chris Paul for Jordan Poole swap. The 21-year-old was a second-round draft pick in 2022 that was limited to mop-up duty as a rookie. His best game was scoring seven points in nine minutes against the Pelicans in November.
The 6’4 guard played well in the G League, but he was even a reserve for the Santa Cruz Warriors during the regular season. Rollins averaged 18.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.0 steal in 23.2 minutes per game over nine contests. Those are strong numbers, but he was coming off the bench in the G League.
Rollins is set to make $1.7 million, and he could be a roster causality during training camp. The Washington Wizards currently have 16 players on standard contracts and must get down to 15 before the start of the regular season. Rollins will be competing with Xavier Cooks, Anthony Gill, and Mike Muscala for the final spot.
Ryan Rollins just has not shown enough to be viewed as a long-term piece for the Wizards. He just turned 21 years old, so it is too early to give up completely, but developing the 6’4 guard should not be a priority for his new franchise.