All eyes for the Boston Celtics are on the NBA Finals, and rightfully so. But there’s still an upcoming draft for the Celtics to prepare for, too.
The Celtics continue to juggle both responsibilities with the 2024 NBA Draft just three weeks away.
Boston hosted an intriguing draft prospect Tuesday when it held a workout for North Carolina sharpshooting guard Cormac Ryan. Ryan’s former AAU team, Middlesex Magic, posted a photo on social media of Ryan following the work out at the Auerbach Center. Ryan also worked out for the Los Angeles Lakers last week.
Ryan turned in a successful collegiate career, which began at Stanford and included three years at Notre Dame before finishing up at North Carolina. The 6-foot-5, 195-pound guard made his mark from long range during those five seasons as he was a career 35.2% shooter from beyond the arc.
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Ryan, who sat out a season after transferring from Stanford due to NCAA rules, shot the lights out from deep during the 2021-22 campaign with the Fighting Irish. He knocked down an eye-popping and career-best 40.7% of his 3-pointers on four attempts per game that season.
The 25-year-old continued to flourish with the Tar Heels this past season, starting in 34 of 36 games. Ryan averaged 11.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists while shooting a terrific 87.4% from the free-throw line.
Ryan, who is a New York native but played his high school basketball not far from TD Garden at Milton Academy, seems like a prototypical fit for Boston’s offense reliant on 3-point shooting. He could space the floor for the Celtics’ playmakers and given the team’s depth, they could give Ryan more time to develop as well.
It seems highly unlikely the Celtics would use their first-round pick on Ryan since he’s projected to go in the second round or undrafted. But Boston could use its late second-round selection on Ryan, if they don’t decide to use the pick on Bronny James.
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The first round of the NBA draft is scheduled for June 26 with the second round commencing the following day.
Featured image via Rob Kinnan/USA TODAY Sports Images
