One of the biggest stories of the Los Angeles Lakers’ preseason victory over the Golden State Warriors was the performance of Matt Ryan. The sharpshooting wing exploded for 20 points in the win, hitting 6-of-9 shots from 3-point range and showing exactly what makes him an intriguing roster possibility.
Arguably the main concern for the Lakers heading into this season is the lack of perimeter shooting. On paper, the team doesn’t have any certifiable knockdown deep shooters, but Ryan clearly falls under that category and he believes he is as good as anybody.
Following his breakout performance, Ryan was interviewed by Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet where he made it clear that he believes he is as good of a shooter as anyone in the NBA:
“I love it. 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 one of these games it was gonna click for me, it just took a couple games. I’m very fortunate and thankful to get another opportunity tonight after having a couple off games. But I know I can shoot with the best of ’em and I’m gonna just keep getting better and staying ready for my opportunity.”
Ryan has been working hard to stick to an NBA roster and because of that, he understands the importance of this opportunity with the Lakers and will continue to work as hard as he can to be a player in this league:
“Got no time to waste. Every opportunity could be your last one. My mom texts me every day ‘This is what you’ve been waiting for. This is what you’ve been working for. This is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for the past few years.’ So I’m just trying to make the most of it, trying to achieve a dream, trying to help out the team in any way I can. And I’m gonna just keep on going every day working my butt off and being the best me possible every day.”
There is always a spot for shooting within the NBA and Ryan is looking to prove that he is one of the best the league has to offer. If he can string together another couple of games like that, he will make it extremely difficult for the Lakers to let him go.
L.A. does have one open roster spot and could opt to keep Ryan is he keeps this up considering his contract is non-guaranteed and would give them flexibility.
Anthony Davis ‘felt great’ in preseason return for Lakers
Sunday’s victory also saw the return of Anthony Davis to the Lakers’ lineup and the big man was dominant with 28 points on the night. Afterwards, Davis said he felt great in his return getting the victory.
Davis also noted that he must continue to use the preseason to get into game shape while also making it clear that the back issues that kept him out of the previous two contests were minor and not bothering him.
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