Lakers News: Sport Psychologist Dr. Rob Smith Discusses What Makes Matt Ryan Tick

The author of "Shooting Out Of Your Mind" breaks down one of L.A.'s few good long-range snipers.

Your Los Angeles Lakers may be the weakest three-point shooting team in the league by percentage, but don't blame reserve small forward Matt Ryan (no, not the Indianapolis Colts quarterback).

A training camp invitee whose excellent three-point shooting helped him snag the team's 15th and final spot on its standard roster, the 6'7" wing remains signed to a non-guaranteed $1,637,966 deal with the club till January 10th. He is nailing 41.9% of his 3.1 attempts from long range during his first full NBA season (he appeared for one game with the Boston Celtics last year while on a two-way contract). 

The 25-year-old went undrafted out of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2020, and due to the COVID-19 pandemic decided to continue pursuing his basketball dream, unable to find a pathway to the NBA proper with the G League canceled that season. He took odd jobs, working at a cemetery and as a delivery man, while focusing on staying in NBA-ready shape. Ryan played well enough with the Denver Nuggets' NBAGL club, the Grand Rapids Gold, during the 2021-22 season that the Celtics came calling with a two-way deal. He wound up spending significantly more time with Boston's Maine Celtics G League affiliate team than he did for Boston proper.

And now he's in L.A. The rest of his game is not particularly NBA-ready, but being a knockdown long-range marksman could keep him rostered at least through the Lakers' January deadline.

"Shooting Out of Your Mind: How to Shoot a Basketball from the Inside Out" author Dr. Rob Smith was kind enough to take a look at Ryan's game for this piece.

"He's had that same quick release and footwork (enabling him to find his balance before launching the shot, a key to consistent shooting accuracy)," Dr. Smith noted. "At 6'7", that gives him a great advantage to find separation and avoiding having to adjust his shot with oncoming defenders - even with more athletic NBA guards. A little later in this video, you'll see that you can argue that he can be considered not JUST a sharpshooter, but a scorer. Think about how great Steph Curry (also great footwork and release) is about scoring all over the floor, not just from downtown. In college at least, Ryan showed good mobility on the floor with and without the ball - so his handle should be okay, though I'm sure it could be better as he takes more of a pounding in the NBA."

Here's more from our conversation:

Ryan is one of the few reliable three-point shooters on a bad three-point shooting team. What could other more shooting-deprived Lakers glean from watching his shot?

"I think fellow Lakers can work on their footwork and efficiency in their release. Ryan obviously has great touch, but others in the NBA do too, but lesser shooters can't get all the pieces (finding separation, eyeing the target, setting the feet, gripping the ball, alignment to the target, quick release and follow-through) together consistently. That same guy who hit the buzzer-beater for the Lakers vs. the Pelicans had the same shot in college."

Psychologically, what do you think helped him stay motivated while working in a cemetery and as a delivery driver? How did he endear while waiting for his chance at the league?

"Psychological resilience: In that article you sent me, he described his method of staying engaged in games when seeing very few minutes - just in case he gets the nod to sub in for some offensive spark. Delivering food or working in a cemetery isn't the hard part - it's not having the chance to prove himself on the floor... he's got to keep doing that in practices and be patient for those openings - and to remember that everyone (the coach, team, crowd) WANTS to see him succeed."

Ryan has been an elite three-point shooter, but has played for limited minutes, in part because he's still a defensive liability. He also doesn't seem to have much of a handle. In your opinion, can he stick around in the NBA?

"Keeping sharp while waiting for a break means tremendous belief in self and a focus on continuous self-improvement... finding what teams want and need and developing into the role they are seeking. His getting let go by the Celtics was the likely result of their already having a powerful offensive line-up AND a strong defensive orientation. With the Lakers, this may be what he needs to develop more -- to get more minutes and looks at the basket offensively. The Lakers have a need for him exactly because of the inconsistent play from three-point range from the other shooters, but they can't afford to give up baskets at the other end, or it's a net-zero result."

"I haven't watched him enough to see what he does on defense, but I can assume that he needs to work on his quickness and positioning to handle NBA guards. Otherwise, he'll get burned and if the team doesn't play good help D then that'll hurt the team. But his offensive skills and scoring will keep him in the league as long as he grows his arsenal (James Harden doesn't play much D either, so...). He seems humble and a team-minded player, so I'm guessing that makes him coachable and good to have around - and that makes him a valuable asset to any team, especially if he's unselfish on BOTH ends of the floor."

Aspiring sharpshooters would be wise to check out more of Dr. Smith's insights into converting shots all over the floor on his YouTube channel. Here's a sample:

For more information about Dr. Smith or to order his recent book, go to his website, Shooting Out Of Your Mind.  

Readers can then read about the book, watch videos, download free worksheets if interested.