No, it’s not that Matt Ryan. This guy hasn’t blown a 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl (yet).
Rather than Boston College, this 6-foot-7 forward spent his college years at Notre Dame, Vanderbilt and Chattanooga. And if you’re wondering, Ryan did in fact play alongside Celtics forward Aaron Nesmith during his time at Vandy.
Ryan had been with Denver’s G League team, the Grand Rapids Gold, this season after going undrafted in 2020. In 28 games with the Gold, he averaged 15.8 points per game on 42.7% shooting (38.5% from deep). He’s also posted averages of three rebounds and 1.6 assists on 28.7 minutes per game.
When the Celtics recently signed Malik Fitts and Kelan Martin to 10-day contracts, Ime Udoka expressed that those two forwards fit into a certain role the team is looking to fill.
“We’re looking for a specific skill set, body type and some of the things that match well with our team,” he said.
Given Ryan is taller than Martin and only an inch shorter than Fitts, it stands to reason they’re testing him out for the same role. However, the Celtics have more time to see how Ryan fits and possibly develop him further given the nature of his contract.