Giannis Antetokounmpo showed his leadership by praising and rewarding Ryan Rollins for his play and career achievement of 1,000 points.
Not everything has gone smoothly for the Milwaukee Bucks this season, but the growth of Ryan Rollins has been a big bright spot.
On Friday against the Charlotte Hornets, Rollins was a big contributor in helping the Bucks secure a 122-121 victory.
Rollins finished with 29 points, including his 1,000th career point.
After the game, Giannis Antetokounmpo had praise for the 23-year-old guard.
"He's incredible. Coach gave me the ball, but I thought it'd be a nice gesture for Ryan to keep the ball. I have the opportunity to keep my jersey. It means a lot for him. 1,000 points. He played really well. He had 29 (points). Made tough shots, got to the paint, put a lot of pressure on the rim and made the right plays defensively. He was active. As a leader, when guys are locked in to do the right thing and play hard every single day and are available for the team, you have to reward them as much as you can," said Giannis.
Ryan Rollins Growth
Against the Hornets, Rollins shot 11-13 from the field and 6-7 from three to go along with eight assists. On the season, he's averaging 17.4 points and 5.8 assists on 48% shooting from the field and 42% from behind the arc.
Rollins has started in 30 out of 35 games this season after seeing his role increase at the end of last year when Damian Lillard went down with injury.
In 19 games as a starter last season, Rollins averaged just 6.9 points, but showed his shooting touch with 48/40/80 shooting splits.
With more minutes and opportunities this season, he's proven that he can be a starting point guard in the league and next to one of the best players.
Scoring By The Numbers
Of his 1024 career points, 608 have come in this season. Coming into this year, Rollins had scored over 20 points just twice in his career, with both games coming in the final month of last season.
This season, Rollins has scored 20 or more points in 13 games, including a career high 32 points against the Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers.
Nearly half of his 1024 career points have come from the three point line as he's hit 141 threes, good for 423 career points.
If he's not shooting from three, as mentioned by Giannis, Rollins is putting pressure on the rim. 41% of his field goal attempts have come within 10 feet of the basket with 42% coming from three.