The New York Knicks have signed Matt Ryan, a former Boston Celtics wing, to a training camp contract, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. Ian Begley of SNY TV first reported New York's potential interest. Ryan spent time with the Knicks this past year, but he got his first shot in the NBA with the Celtics back in the 2021-22 season. Ryan is the second former Celtic the Knicks have brought on board for training camp, as they inked Malcolm Brogdon to a deal not long ago.
Though he only ever played one game with the Celtics in the regular season, he spent a bunch of time with the Maine Celtics in the G League that year, and while with Boston’s Summer League squad, he even hit a half-court game-winner. And now, he’s still looking to find his place in the NBA.
New York could be a good landing spot.
What does Matt Ryan bring to the table?
Ever since his first chance in the NBA, Ryan’s calling card has been his three-point shot. From his Summer League game-winner to a huge game-tying shot for the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2022-23, he’s always been a long-range sharpshooter.
In his four years of NBA service, Ryan hasn’t played more than 34 games, but for the last three seasons, he also hasn’t been in the G League much. Since his rookie year, in which he played 42 games with Maine and the Grand Rapids Gold, he’s only appeared in 11 G League games across the last three years.
All in all, Ryan has played in 53 G League games across the course of his career thus far, playing 31.1 minutes per contest. He’s averaged 17.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 43.9% from the field and 39.5% from beyond the arc on 9.4 three-point attempts per game.
As for Ryan’s experience playing at the NBA level, he’s been solid. He’s played in 82 total NBA games since 2021, making appearances for the Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans, and Knicks. In those games, he’s played 9.4 minutes per contest.
Throughout the course of his four-year NBA career, Ryan has averaged 3.7 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.5 assists while shooting 38.9% from the field and 40.2% from behind the three-point line on 2.4 attempts per game.
Ryan is the exact type of player the Knicks should want on their roster. He’s proven himself as a three-point shooter at every step of his NBA career, and New York doesn’t have much shooting on the bottom half of their roster, particularly at the wing position.
They have plenty of guards on board, including the likes of Brogdon and Landry Shamet competing for spots, but adding a wing who can shoot would give their rotation a boost.