Pelicans forward Matt Ryan has been diagnosed with a mild right calf strain and is expected to miss about 10-to-14 days, the team announced in a press release.
Ryan, who was injured during Saturday’s loss to Minnesota, is on a two-way contract with New Orleans. Two-way players are only eligible to be active for 50 NBA games, but the 26-year-old has already appeared in all 13 of the Pelicans’ contests this fall.
Known for his shooting prowess, Ryan is off to a strong start in 2023/24, averaging 9.3 points on an excellent .458/.471/.929 slash line in 22.9 minutes per night. All of those figures represent career highs for the third-year forward.
The Pelicans have once again dealt with a litany of injuries this season. Trey Murphy (knee surgery) has yet to make his season debut, CJ McCollum (small pneumothorax in his right lung) has missed the past seven games, and Larry Nance Jr. is out with a rib fracture. Several other players have missed multiple games as well.
On a more positive note, guard Jose Alvarado (ankle) plans to make his season debut tonight.
With Ryan out, the Pelicans will lean even more heavily on rookie first-rounder Jordan Hawkins to provide outside shooting.