Bucks already look genius for their Cormac Ryan investment

Bucks two-way guard Cormac Ryan had a career night on Friday against the Nets, which is a promising sign for the Bucks after his recent signing. Ryan inked a two-way deal with Milwaukee in February after an excellent campaign with their G-League affiliate Wisconsin Herd and now he’s showing the same skills in the NBA. In particular, Ryan’s potent shooting and overall scoring arsenal stood out in his 28-point outing against Brooklyn.

Cormac Ryan could be a nice piece going forward

Ryan has always been known as a great shooter; in his 10 games so far with the Bucks, he’s hitting 51% of his threes on almost 5 attempts per game. That trend continued in his career-high performance as he hit 5-of-9 attempts from deep. 

It’s not just Ryan’s efficiency but also his high 3-point volume and supreme confidence that make a difference. He’s willing to pull a shot from the outside, even from a couple feet back of the 3-point line, if defenses give him even a sliver of space. This deadly threat forces defenses to react and unlocks his teammates’ playmaking abilities.

But there’s also a lot more in Ryan’s bag than just movement shooting. In that career night, he was also 5-of-8 from two-point range by attacking off the dribble. When defenses close out hard on him at the three-point line, he’s got a nice handle to attack the rim and crafty finishes to get around defenders.

The Bucks’ decision to call up Ryan looks better every game

Even though the Bucks’ postseason ambitions are done this season, it’s great that they can still give players like Ryan an opportunity to showcase their skills. Even in the last game of the season, Ryan should get more chances to display his abilities. And he could wind up earning his role on the Bucks permanently in the future.

Although Ryan is a little older than the average two-way player at 27, he’s still got a lot of room to grow. He’s already showing key attributes that can make him a contributor on a winning team now. But with a proper NBA training regimen, he’s got the potential to add more to his game as a pick-and-roll operator and versatile scorer.

Depending on which direction the Bucks go this offseason, Ryan could be a big part of their rotation next season. His strengths on the offensive end are obvious, but he’s also got enough defensive chops to hold up for a full game. And if the Bucks don’t want to keep him, he could also raise his trade value by continuing to show out whenever he gets significant minutes. 

Either way, the Bucks’ cheap contract for Cormac Ryan is already paying off.