The emerging guard will have to make a tough decision
After leaving the November 12 game against the Toronto Raptors with what appeared to be a relatively innocuous injury—initially worded as “left shoulder instability” and later changed to “left shoulder dislocation”—Bucks coach Doc Rivers revealed before Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Bulls that two-way guard Ryan Rollins may need to get surgery to fix the issue:
The Bucks updated Ryan Rollins’ injury status from “left shoulder instability” to a “left shoulder dislocation” today.
Asked for a timeline on Rollins, here is what Bucks coach Doc Rivers said: pic.twitter.com/CCivMUZwI4
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) November 20, 2024
The specifics of what a timeline might look like if Rollins were to get surgery are not publicly known. But for reference, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle suffered a dislocation in his right shoulder last season while playing for the New York Knicks. Randle tried for months to rehab the injury but ultimately could not do so in time for the playoffs and opted to get surgery.
Doc mentioned that Ryan—who was beginning to find his place in the NBA after being traded and released by multiple teams—may try to rehab the shoulder without surgery in hopes of a faster return. However, it is unclear how likely he is of getting a different result than the aforementioned Randle.
Before getting injured, Rollins was having what most would believe to have been the best game in his NBA career, notching twelve points, three assists, five rebounds, and an impressive five steals against the Raptors. For the season, he was averaging about three points, one assist, and one rebound in a career-high 7.6 minutes per game.