The Bucks may have found a piece of their future.
The Milwaukee Bucks dropped yet another game on Wednesday night, falling 130-99 to the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center in what was a thorough beating from start to finish.
Milwaukee fell behind 42-27 after the first quarter and never came close to making it competitive, trailing by as many as 33 points before the final buzzer sounded.
Without Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis, Kyle Kuzma, Gary Harris, and Kevin Porter Jr., the Bucks were severely shorthanded and it showed almost immediately.
But in the aftermath of what has become a familiar outcome for Milwaukee this season, veteran forward Taurean Prince chose to focus on something positive rather than dwell on the ugly final score.
Prince Tips His Hat to Rollins
Prince singled out Ryan Rollins after the game, who put together a career-high 36 points on 13-of-26 shooting with six made threes in a losing effort that, statistically at least, was one of the best individual performances any Buck has had all year.
"Credit to him, he puts in a lot of work, every day honestly, whether it's a practice day or a shootaround day," Prince said of Rollins' performance, via The Athletic's Eric Nehm.
And look, it is not hard to see what Prince is talking about.
Rollins has been on a tear lately, averaging 16.8 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game this season while shooting 41.2 percent from three, all of which represent career-best numbers across the board.
He has not scored fewer than 13 points in any of his last 11 games, and the 23-year-old is starting to look like a legitimate building block going forward.
Rollins himself took the loss in stride, saying everything is a learning experience no matter the result.
Prince's Return Has Been Quiet but Meaningful
Prince came off the bench Wednesday and finished with 13 points on 4-of-11 shooting, knocking down three threes and grabbing six rebounds in 29 minutes of action.
It was a solid enough outing for a guy who just returned to the floor on March 10 after undergoing neck surgery back in November to repair a herniated disc.
Doc Rivers even admitted he did not think Prince would play again this season, which makes the fact that he is out there contributing at all pretty remarkable.
Since coming back, Prince has bounced between the starting lineup and the bench depending on the night, and he is averaging 6.1 points and 1.6 rebounds per game on the year across his limited appearances.
Where Does Milwaukee Go From Here?
The loss dropped the Bucks to 29-43, which puts them 11th in the Eastern Conference and well outside even the play-in picture.
They have now lost 12 of their last 15 games, and Antetokounmpo's left knee injury has only accelerated the downward spiral of a season that started with much higher expectations.
Portland, meanwhile, improved to 37-37 and sits in ninth out West with a play-in spot already locked up.
Seven Blazers finished in double figures on the night, led by Scoot Henderson's 23 points off the bench and Donovan Clingan's 14-point, 15-rebound effort.
For Milwaukee, the rest of the season is about evaluating young talent like Rollins and getting guys like Prince healthy minutes before what promises to be a pivotal offseason.
The Bucks host the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.