Rollins admits to careless turnovers and struggles driving offense.
The Milwaukee Bucks dropped a 130-91 decision to the Orlando Magic on Sunday night at Fiserv Forum, and guard Ryan Rollins did not shy away from pointing the finger at himself when speaking to reporters after the game.
"I think it was just tough for us to get downhill for the most part," Rollins said.
"With me personally, I was kind of just a little too loose with the ball trying to get downhill and just create opportunities for drive-and-kicks. I don't think we had a lot this game. That is probably the biggest thing I could say right now."
Rollins finished the night with 15 points, one rebound, one assist and three steals, but the Bucks never found any sort of offensive flow against Orlando's defense and shot just 42 percent from the field as a team.
The loss was a tough one for Milwaukee, which rested Giannis Antetokounmpo on the second night of a back-to-back after the two-time MVP played in their win over the Jazz a night earlier.
Without Antetokounmpo on the floor, the Bucks had no answer for Paolo Banchero, who poured in 33 points, and Jalen Suggs, who added 20 to go along with a balanced effort from the Magic.
Another Loss in a Tough Season
The defeat drops Milwaukee to 27-36 on the season, which puts them 11th in the Eastern Conference and 4.5 games behind 10th-place Charlotte with just 19 games left to play.
It has been a frustrating year for the Bucks, who started the season 5-2 before a seven-game losing streak in November sent things off the rails.
Antetokounmpo has missed significant time with a groin injury and then a calf strain, and the team also dealt with the distraction of trade rumors swirling around their franchise player leading up to the deadline.
Milwaukee also lost second-leading scorer Kevin Porter Jr. to knee swelling, which has kept him out for three straight games heading into this one and only added to the difficulty of staying competitive on a nightly basis.
On the other side, the Magic improved to 35-28 with their fourth straight win and remain in the thick of the playoff race in the Eastern Conference.
Rollins Still Deserves MIP Love
Even though Sunday's game was one to forget, there is no denying that Rollins has been one of the best stories in the NBA this season and still deserves to be a top candidate for Most Improved Player.
After averaging just 6.2 points per game last season with limited playing time, Rollins has turned himself into Milwaukee's most consistent perimeter player this year, putting up 16.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game while shooting nearly 40 percent from three-point range.
He set a new career high with 32 points in a win over the Golden State Warriors back in October and has put together multiple 20-plus point games throughout the season while earning the trust of head coach Doc Rivers despite the constant lineup shuffling.
Since the All-Star break alone, Rollins has averaged 16.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game, which shows that his production has not been just some early-season hot streak that faded away.
Rivers himself has compared the type of defensive attention Rollins is getting this year to what Damian Lillard used to face in Milwaukee, and that kind of praise says a lot about how far the 23-year-old has come in a short period of time.
One bad game against a hot Orlando team does not change the fact that Rollins has been one of the most improved players in the league from top to bottom this season, and he should continue to be in that conversation when the awards are handed out at the end of the year.
The Bucks will look to bounce back when they host the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.