Ryan Rollins has a long way to go before earning regular playing time with the Golden State Warriors, let alone living up to his long-term potential. Considering how high the defending champions are on the rookie second-round pick's future, though, that Rollins is intentionally molding his game after a star veteran's should certainly excite Dub Nation.

During his Thursday appearance on 95.7 The Game with fellow rookie Patrick Baldwin Jr., Rollins was asked by radio host Damon Bruce if there's a player in the league who resembles the type of player he could become once the 20-year-old reaches his potential.

“Like you said, CJ [McCollum],” he replied. “I've watched a lot of his film. The mid-range is where he operates, that's where I like to operate. It's a good shot for me. I'm pretty efficient at it. CJ is probably the main one, yeah.”

The Warriors selected Rollins with the No. 44 pick of the draft after trading up with the Atlanta Hawks. He missed Summer League after team medical personnel discovered a fracture in the fifth metatarsal of his right foot during the onboarding process, but Rollins nevertheless impressed Golden State brass during offseason workouts. He was cleared for full contact in September, a couple weeks before the Warriors tipped off training camp.

The former Toledo guard has impressed his new team during preseason action, with the likes of Steve Kerr, Stephen Curry and Kevon Looney praising his overall ability and overall approach on the floor. Rollins, like pretty much all of his young teammates, showed out in Golden State's short-handed blowout win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday, finishing with 12 points and five assists on stellar efficiency in just 16 minutes off the bench.

Don't expect Rollins to garner more playing time than that this season in games the Warriors are anywhere near full-strength. Kerr has already made clear he expects Rollins and Baldwin to get significant stints in the G-League. But whether cutting his teeth in Santa Cruz or playing mop-up duty at Chase Center, the mid-range repertoire that's made McCollum so successful figures to be an indelible feature of Rollins' game.

Looks a lot like McCollum, right?

It'll be awhile before Rollins has the offensive freedom and develops the finely tuned skill set needed to make those difficult shots a staple of Golden State's offense. Such encouraging early returns on his NBA destiny, though, suggest that's a realistic a possibility for Rollins and the Warriors down the line.

[Damon Bruce, 95.7 The Game]