The New York Knicks are bringing back fan favorite Matt Ryan on a training camp deal, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.
Ryan, 28, appeared in 19 games for the Knicks last season after carving out an NBA journeyman career as a 3-point specialist. Undrafted in 2020, the New York native has made stops in Boston, Minnesota, the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans before splitting last season between the Knicks and their G League affiliate in Westchester.
An Unusual Path to the NBA
Before making his Knicks debut last year, Ryan shared his unconventional journey to the NBA. He once worked at a Yonkers cemetery while chasing his basketball dream.
“I’m like, ‘It’s not going to be like this every day, right?’” Ryan told the New York Post at the time. “And also I’m like, ‘I need to get the hell out of there.’”
Ryan clarified to The New York Post that he was not digging graves at the cemetery.
The Westchester product earned an MBA from Vanderbilt and considered a career on Wall Street. Instead, he opted for flexible jobs — including stints with DoorDash and cemetery maintenance — that allowed him to leave at a moment’s notice if a basketball opportunity arose.
“I could’ve gone to work in New York City right away. But I thought if I did that, I might’ve kissed my basketball career goodbye,” Ryan said. “Because down there, in the city, you get a job and you try to build up, I probably couldn’t tell them, ‘Hey, if I get a call I have to leave right away.’ So that’s why I did these jobs where I could just drop it at a moment’s notice.”
Coming Home to the Knicks
Playing for his hometown Knicks, Ryan said, was “extremely special.”
“It’s very lucky, a unique circumstance to come home, play for the Knicks as a Westchester kid,” Ryan said. “But I’m locked in. Probably never been more focused than I am right now.”
Known for his perimeter shooting, Ryan only hit 31.6% from the 3-point line in mop-up duties with the Knicks last season. Before joining the Knicks, he shot 45.1% from beyond the arc in 28 games with the Pelicans. His shooting ability keeps him on the radar as teams value specialists who can swing momentum with quick scoring bursts.
Facing Long Odds at Camp
Still, Ryan faces long odds of making the roster with only one spot left. In front of him are former Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon and veteran guard Landry Shamet, who bring established NBA résumés.
Ryan has been in this position before. He signed a similar non-guaranteed deal with New York last year and said he knows what comes with the uncertainty.
“I’ve been in this spot before, man. I’ve been probably waived in this league a half dozen times now, been on several teams,” Ryan told the New York Post last year. “But one thing I will say is I’ve been on a playoff team every year I’ve been in the league. I’ve gotten a chance to contribute in certain stretches to every team I’ve been on.
“So, whether it’s non-guaranteed, a two-way, full-guaranteed deal, I’ve kind of dipped my toes into each one. So, regardless of the situation, I think I’ve proven that I can step in, play a role and contribute. There’s no pressure. … It was never supposed to be easy. You’ve got 450 guys in this league, probably 50 guys are rock-solid stars and the other guys got to figure out where to fit in. That’s the category I’m in. But I’ve figured out my skill that I can carry from team to team.”
For Ryan, training camp will be another chance to prove that his long, winding journey to the NBA can still lead to a permanent place in the league — and perhaps, once again, at Madison Square Garden.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Knicks Bring Back Fan Favorite in Roster Battle appeared first on Heavy Sports.