The two free throws missed by Dyson Daniels with 1.4 seconds left in the game gave the Los Angeles Lakers an extra life. Thanks to the New Orleans Pelicans' mistake, there was one last play left in the Crypto.com Arena. On the track was a guarded Lebron James. Also two monsters like Anthony Davis or Russell Westbrook. But Austin Reaves was true to Darvin Ham's slate. With a side-to-side pass he sent the ball to the unexpected hero of the night. In front of his bench, Matt Ryan managed to catch him, keep his balance and shoot from outside the perimeter to force overtime.
Those three points in the end were key for the Lakers to get their second straight victory of the season after a horrible start, with five losses. Lonnie Walker's 28 points, with the definitive triple against the Pelicans (120-117) or Westbrook's great performance coming off the bench (13 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds) were overshadowed by a 25-year-old New Yorker unaccustomed to headlines.
And it is that Ryan (2.01 m) was unknown to the general public until practically this Wednesday. His steps into the NBA turned out to be unorthodox. He never excelled excessively at the three universities he went through (Notre Dame, Vanderbilt and Chattanooga) and was not selected in the 2020 Draft by any franchise. The pandemic did not benefit him either, and with his economics studies completed he had to find a life again at home, waiting to find a team.
Not even his good grades that served him to enter the world of finance in some company made Ryan's idea falter. His dream was the NBA ever since he used cut-out yoga mats to extend the three-point line in his high school gym. He wanted to become a shooting specialist and did not give up trying. He had spent many hours behind that makeshift line.
To continue devoting time to basketball, Ryan jumped into flexible jobs in New York. For a time he delivered food for DoorDash and Uber Eats. He also entered the gardening trade, in a Yonkers cemetery. Between tombstones and flower crowns, he started the day at seven in the morning, sometimes with temperatures below zero, with tights and pajamas under his pants.
After that time as a moonlighter, he found shelter in the development league (G League). There he began to make a name for himself as a sniper, with a good three-point percentage (41.3%) and an average of 19.4 points. He shone in the 2021 NBA Summer League and for the Maine Celtics, a team affiliated with the Boston Celtics, he went on to have an opportunity with figures like Jayson Tatum or Marcus Smart. He only played five minutes in the regular phase, but he made himself known in the elite.
He was released in the summer and the Celtics' eternal rival knocked on the door. Ham was looking for an outside shooting specialist and had Ryan tested during the preseason. His performance convinced the Los Angeles franchise, with the essential approval of LeBron James. The small forward made the cut and is part of the team's rotation. He wants to make the most of the minutes he is on the court, like against the Pelicans, a game in which Willy Hernangómez (Eurobasket MVP) was left without playing again.
"I'm very excited for him. It worked. He hit the 3-pointer in a fabulous way. Matt had the guts to shoot and score," applauded his coach after the game. And that before that launch Ryan had only one success in six attempts. In total he added a total of 11 points, grabbed two rebounds and gave an assist. It was his first big night in the NBA.
