Shopping day in New York. This same afternoon the Knicks announced that Ariel Hukporti would occupy a standard spot on their roster. A few hours later, Shams Charania points in ESPN that the franchise has acquired the services of Matt Ryan. The shooting guard recently signed with the New Orleans Pelicans on a ten-day contract after they did not secure the remaining years in his previous signing.
Ryan comes to replace Landry Shamet, whom Tom Thibodeau had trusted as a squad reinforcement in the preseason. Unfortunately, the player dislocated his shoulder during training camp, which led to the termination of his contract. The Knicks were required to sign two players in the first two competitions to meet the minimum roster requirements.
With the bulk of the roster already made, it was a priority for Leon Rose and Thibs to add one more shooter than to be able to add occasionally. With the Pelicans, Ryan averaged 45% accuracy last season on more than three attempts per game. Of course, the sample is small. The guard has never managed to make a significant place in the rotations of the teams he has played for: Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves and NOLA. The one-dimensional nature of his game and certain defensive limitations have kept him from that consistency. But he has been a useful tool at certain times, and the Knicks do not expect more from him.
(Cover photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
