Minnesota Timberwolves Sign Shooter Matt Ryan

The Minnesota Timberwolves are bringing in Matt Ryan to shore up their wing depth.

Matt Ryan Heads to Minnesota

After being released by the Los Angeles Lakers, Matt Ryan has a new door opened for him. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Minnesota Timberwolves have inked Ryan on a two-way contract, bringing in a solid shooter to help space the floor for the team’s stars. Ryan played 12 games for the Lakers this season, averaging 10.8 minutes, 3.9 points, 1.2 rebounds, and a decent 37.1% clip from the three-point line.

Matt Ryan went undrafted during the 2020 NBA Draft. He played college ball for three teams, namely Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, and Chattanooga. He broke out of his shell in his last year, putting up 15.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists for Chattanooga. After going undrafted in 2020, Ryan suited up for the Grand Rapids Gold, Maine Celtics, and Iowa Wolves in the G League. He was also a part of the Boston Celtics’ roster last season but only logged one game the whole year.

As for the Wolves, the arrival of Ryan would give them another shooter to work with. They are one of the worst shooting teams in the league, ranking 26th out of 30 teams in terms of three-point percentage. When you look at their roster, only Taurean Prince (38.9% clip on 3.0 attempts) and Jaden McDaniels (38.1% clip on 3.0 attempts) are shooting at a respectable clip from deep.

With a roster built with stars who can attack inside the paint, the Timberwolves need shooters like Ryan to have a more efficient offense. They need to make this work, especially after betting big on acquiring defensive-minded center Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz. The Wolves are currently sporting a record of 12 wins against 12 defeats, with a challenging five-game road trip coming up.