Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

Stephen Curry explains why former Warriors guard Ryan Rollins’ 32-point performance taught him big lesson

Originally posted on NBA Analysis Network
By Bergas Agung | Last updated Oct 31, 2025 6:44 PM ET

Ryan Rollins emerged as the star behind Milwaukee’s 120-110 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

The former Warriors guard delivered a career-high 32 points along with 8 assists and 5-of-7 shooting from three-point range.

Rollins led the Milwaukee Bucks to victory despite Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence, creating particular irony given his Warriors history.

The Golden State Warriors drafted Rollins 44th overall in 2022 before trading him to Washington with Jordan Poole in the Chris Paul deal.

Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

Stephen Curry surprised by Ryan Rollins’ offensive freedom without Giannis Antetokounmpo presence

The performance surprised many observers, including Stephen Curry.

The Warriors superstar expected Milwaukee to feature Giannis as their offensive centerpiece, which would have limited Rollins’ ball-handling opportunities.

In that typical scenario, Rollins wouldn’t possess the offensive flexibility he demonstrated organizing Milwaukee’s attack throughout the game.

“You know certain patterns of guys like Giannis. Whether you can stop it or not is another question,” Curry explained.

“But nobody has really played Ryan, when he’s [Giannis] out there, free to just do whatever he feels like and he’s applying pressure and they had a five out space.”

Stephen Curry vows better preparation after overlooking role players like Ryan Rollins

Following the loss, Curry acknowledged the performance taught valuable lessons about preparation and avoiding excessive focus on opponent stars.

The Warriors must adjust their approach to account for all potential scenarios rather than fixating on specific players.

“So, we have to be able to make adjustments to, I guess, mentally against Indiana and knowing however the game starts, we have to impose our will a little bit earlier than we did tonight,” Curry stated.

The timing proves significant as the Warriors’ next game features the Indiana Pacers, who are currently dealing with multiple injuries.

This situation could create similar challenges if Golden State overlooks healthy role players capable of exploiting their defensive focus.

This article first appeared on NBA Analysis Network and was syndicated with permission.

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