Matt Ryan hit the biggest shot of Los Angeles Lakers’ Seasons for free. one of a kind.
The training camp invitee, who earned a partially guaranteed contract and a place in coach Darwin Hamm’s early-season rotation, is awaiting the first direct deposit in his account.
“I haven’t even got a paycheck yet,” Ryan told ESPN, noting his buzzer-beating 3, which forced overtime and won against him New Orleans Pelicans Last week. “We don’t get paid till the 15th.”
Ryan will have to remain on the roster before January 10 to be fully guaranteed his $1.64 million salary. Until then, he is choosing a spartan existence, which he has earned from the $112,000 Boston Celtics On a two-way contract last season to take care of his expenses in LA
Rather than hit town after being shot, 25-year-old Ryan hitched a ride from a team employee back to an extended-stay hotel near the Lakers’ practice facility until he had to stay. Can’t find a place for it. He has LA. I don’t even have a car
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“I’m definitely not going to splurge on anything this year,” Ryan said. “Maybe in the next few years.”
Pennywise Psyche fits in with Ryan’s humble origin story. While awaiting his big break with the NBA team, he worked as a delivery driver for DoorDash and logged the morning shift at his grandfather’s business outside a cemetery in his hometown of White Plains, New York, during the pandemic. did.
His precarious position as the last man on the 15-man roster reflects the Lakers’ uncomfortable place in the standings, leading 2-9 in their first 11 games.
There seems to be a connection between the two things.
As much as lebron james There appears to be a natural connection with Ryan – even impersonating a pen in his hand while signing a check as an endorsement for the shooter, while Ryan was able to hit six 3’s in a preseason game. was in the middle. Golden State Warriors The 6-foot-7 forward is one of many unproven players LA is leaning on. It’s not something James is accustomed to.
“I mean, we have a bunch of guys who are playing that didn’t play last year,” James said on Wednesday. “He’s in rotation. That is, playing heavy minutes that didn’t play at all – no matter whether he was here or with their respective teams. … So, it’s learning.”
Even though Ryan played just five minutes with the Celtics last season (and still earned a playoff bonus from Boston’s NBA Finals run, which he kept in a savings account), he has long awaited this opportunity.
Cleveland Cavaliers all Star Donovan Mitchell, who walked out of the Crypto.com Arena when the Cavs played the Lakers last weekend with Ryan’s jersey draped over his shoulder, knows for sure. The two grew up in Westchester County, New York, playing on the same AAU team, and Mitchell’s father and Ryan’s mother taught in the same school district.
“It was kind of like a [feeling of] Finally,” Ryan said of his greeting with Mitchell after the game. “Like, one of them, ‘F—ing finally, here we are’ [moments],
But Ryan hasn’t let himself drown in the glare of achievement just yet. It is not that it is very difficult for him to maintain his limits. He can only open his social media accounts to see that fans continue to mention Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Ryan on their feeds.
“When I made the team it was annoying at first,” Ryan said of the QB comparisons. “I just ignored it. Just trying to make a name for myself and there’s not much I can do about it. We have the same f—ing name.”
Ryan may have earned some personal recognition since that shot against New Orleans, but he’s stuck to the same routine that helped get him here. And he has the same work ethic after that shot against New Orleans as he did before.
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In sports, he prepares by using timeouts to perform defensive slides, direction-changing agility drills, and sprints from bench to edge. For example, against the Pelicans, he was knocked out in the fourth quarter with 6:37 remaining and did not return to the game until 1.3 seconds left and the play was drawn for him to get a shot.
“Even when I stand to cheer, I do a quick hamstring stretch or hip stretch, just trying to stay loose,” Ryan said. “So I was ready to go in. I remember letting loose until the end of the fourth quarter because it was a close game. I was like, ‘If it turns out to be a 3-point game, I might have to go back there’ .'”
The shot is remarkable to look back. For starters, Hamm had never practiced playing with his team before.
“The coach designed it and we executed it,” Ryan said. “it was very nice.”
Not to mention, Ryan never even noticed Austin Reeves Throw him a cross-court inbound pass while he was curling around the screen Anthony Davis, “I just remember turning the corner and I felt like the ball was in the air,” Ryan said.
Ryan doesn’t want to be known as a one-time wonder.
“I thought my ‘Welcome to the NBA moment’ was after that big shot, then we play Utah a few nights later and I didn’t do much,” Ryan said. “One night you might have to save the day, another night you might be asked to do literally nothing. So it’s just a matter of being prepared, trying to be as consistent as possible.”
Published at www.espn.com
