Pelicans’ Matt Ryan undergoes elbow surgery; to be sidelined 6-8 Weeks

Pelicans guard/forward Matt Ryan underwent a successful arthroscopy on his elbow Tuesday morning and has been given a 6-8 week timetable to return, the team announced in a press release.

Ryan, 26, 6-foot-6, signed a two-way contract with New Orleans at the end of the preseason, and has had a great start to his second year in the NBA. The sharpshooter has appeared in 13 games, averaging 22.9 minutes of playing time, while scoring 9.3 points on shooting splits of 45.8 FG% / 47.1 3P% / 92.9 FT%. 

Due to injuries, Ryan has not seen the court since November 18, as he was originally diagnosed with a calf strain after a game against the Timberwolves, his former team that waived him right before the start of the season. Then upon nearing his return to the court, at the start of December he started being listed on the injury report with elbow soreness, which was later diagnosed as a strain. 

As was announced, Ryan had surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow, and will now take the next couple months to recover. In his absence, the Pelicans, who currently rank 27th in both three-pointers attempted and made, will need to find a rotational player to step up and fill an outside shooting role to replace Ryan’s 2.5 made 3’s per game. With this in mind, on the positive side, shooting guard Trey Murphy III has made his season debut at the start of December, and has averaged exactly 2.5 made 3’s through his first four games. 

The Pelicans will hope to improve on their 13-11 record, as they start their relatively easy three game road trip on Wednesday, facing Washington (3-19), Charlotte (7-14), and San Antonio (3-19).