Lakers News: Is Long-Range Marksman Matt Ryan Here To Stay?

The small forward seems to have earned the respect of one critical Lakers decision maker.

Exhibit 9 Los Angeles Lakers training camp signing Matt Ryan suddenly has a legitimate shot to make his team's opening night roster, thanks to a spectacular three-point shooting barrage today in the Lakers' 124-121 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

Matt Ryan has enjoyed quite an eventful preseason. The 6'7" small forward out of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga went from not seeing the court at any point during the Lakers' first preseason game, a blowout 105-75 loss to the Sacramento Kings, to being one of the crucial second-half factors that helped Los Angeles slay the defending champions on their home floor.

In 20:21 minutes tonight, Ryan knew how to adhere to his role. He launched all of his shots from beyond the three-point arc, connecting on 6-of-9 shooting from deep. The 25-year-old swingman also nailed both his two game-sealing free-throw attempts in the waning seconds of regulation, scoring a total of 20 points against Golden State. Beyond a single rebound, he didn't make much of an impact elsewhere on the stat sheet. Against a still-intimidating Warriors team that opted to trot out an intimidating late-game lineup featuring a pair second-year lottery picks in Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, Ryan, Kendrick Nunn and Thomas Bryant banded together to ice the win in the fourth quarter.

Does this mean he may survive the rest of the team's preseason cuts necessary to trim their standard roster to 15 players?

He certainly should. Over the course of a college career spent toggling between Notre Dame, Vanderbilt and finally Chattanooga, Ryan knocked down 36.3% of his 4.7 three-point attempts a night. Last year, playing for in the G League for the Grand Rapids Gold and Maine Celtics along an NBA-regulation three-point line, Ryan's proficiency from beyond the arc only improved. He knocked down an elite 41.3% of his triples, at a high-volume 9.1 attempts per game.

Ryan also scored well from all over the court during his NBAGL tenure in 2021-22. He averaged 19.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 0.7 steals in 33.5 minutes a night across 30 games. He tallied a slash line of .469/.413/.860. During one especially notable January contest for the Grand Rapids Gold (the Denver Nuggets' G League affiliate), Ryan poured in 34 points, which included nine made three-pointers.

In two games for Boston's Summer League team, Ryan's three-point shooting only got more insane. He made a whopping 52.6% of his 9.5 three-point looks with the Summer Celtics.

He saw limited run in L.A.'s second preseason game. Once again opting only to let it fly from beyond the arc, Ryan went 1-of-4 for a grand total of three points in 7:07 minutes against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. The next night, during a 114-99 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Ryan shot with more frequency, but had the same underwhelming three-point percentage. He went 4-of-10 from the floor, but just 2-of-8 on threes. Ryan finished with 11 points and a rebound in 13:23 minutes.

But his performance tonight (and, presumably, whatever he's been able to show in team scrimmages) seems to have made for some believers among L.A.'s key decision makers.

Count head coach Darvin Ham number among the converted. In remarks made immediately following L.A.'s 124-121 victory against the Golden State Warriors in enemy territory, Ham said, "He may have gotten himself a job today," per Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times.

During his own postgame interview with Spectrum SportsNet reporter Mike Trudell, Ryan spoke about his hot shooting stroke tonight. 

"I got no time to waste." - Matt Ryan speaks with @LakersReporter after making a big statement (20 points, 6/9 3-pointers, 20 minutes) against the Warriors. pic.twitter.com/OO5oUnWoBJ

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 10, 2022

"First couple games, I was a little off, I was seeing a bunch of shots hit the back rim and go in and out. So I knew I was shooting it well, and I just needed to keep shooting, and [I knew that] one of these games was gonna click for me... I know I can shoot with the best of them and I'm gonna just keep getting better and staying ready for my opportunities."

His game is not without its limitations. Ryan is not a great defender. There's a reason he mainly stays around the perimeter: he has a limited skillset trying to generate offense off the bounce. As a catch-and-shoot option, though, he could be pretty darn lethal.