Cormac Ryan Drawing Pre-Draft Interest From NBA Finals Team

Former UNC Tar Heels star Cormac Ryan is drawing interest in the 2024 NBA Draft process and completed a workout earlier this week with the Boston Celtics.

Boston, who kicks of Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night, hopes to win its first championship since 2008. They've made six of the last eight Conference Finals though, and it's a good sign for Ryan that he's being evaluated by such a historic, successful franchise.

Ryan is considered to be a second-round pick or potentially even an undrafted player, though his strong shooting ability will give him consideration.

Tar Heels News: Cormac Ryan Working Out With Boston Celtics

Ryan was only with North Carolina for one season after spending three years with Notre Dame and his freshman year at Stanford, though he made a large impact in a limited time.

He averaged 11.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 35.4% from beyond the arc, highlighted by a 31-point effort in a win over Duke to end the regular season. Ryan shot 47.4% from three-point range in the NCAA Tournament, even making 5-of-8 three-pointers in the season-ending loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide.

This is considered to be a relatively weak draft class, so players like Ryan with translatable skills could see a boost. While his career 35.2% average from beyond the arc isn't exceptional, his best games and strong shooting form will excite scouts across the league.

The Celtics have one second-round pick that could be used on Ryan unless they fall in love and take him in the first round. That's unlikely, though it's growing increasingly possible that Ryan hears his name called on draft night.

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