Throughout a busy offseason, Raptors guard Malachi Flynn has kept his name in the news cycle for all the right reasons.
Whether it was going off for 73 points at Jamal Crawford’s CrawsOver Pro-Am, erupting for 52 points at the Drew League, or scoring 54 points at the Toronto Pro-Am, Flynn has given fans plenty to talk about this summer.
At 24, Flynn is gearing up for his third season with the Raptors after the franchise selected him 29th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft but he hasn’t exactly lived up to lofty expectations placed upon him ahead of his rookie season.
To be fair to Flynn, he has shown some flashes of his potential, but there have been a number of factors outside of his control that have made it difficult to adjust to the NBA.
All things considered, this is a critical juncture in Flynn’s career. As the Raptors look to take another step towards becoming a title contender again, Flynn building off of this breakout summer would be a major development.
Here is how Flynn can translate his pro-am exploits to the upcoming NBA season.
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Shooting
Once the 2021-22 season came to a close, Raptors head coach Nick Nurse acknowledged that Flynn is “going to have to be able to be a great catch-and-shoot player,” adding that Flynn’s shooting is an area in which he can improve to fill an important void.
This past season, Flynn shot a respectable 38.9 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s albeit at a low volume, as he shot 21 of 54 for the season.
Respectable as Flynn’s catch-and-shoot prospect has been, he shot 7 of 34 (20.6) on pull-up 3s last season, which was even a stark contrast from his 31.0 percent shooting on pull-up 3s as a rookie.
In each of his scoring outbursts, Flynn has relied heavily on his 3-pointer off the dribble, which would be an encouraging step forward in his growth and development.
Given the makeup of the Raptors’ roster, Flynn will almost always be on the floor alongside at least one other playmaker, be it Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam or Fred VanVleet in two-guard lineups.
Flynn’s ability to shoot off the bounce adds a dynamic to his game and to Toronto’s offense as teams will be forced to tighten up their ball screen coverage, which in turn creates more space.
In addition to his 3-point shooting off the bounce, Flynn has shown flashes from the midrange. While the midrange jumper is much maligned in today’s game, it can be a useful tool for a smaller guard.
This possession from a Rico Hines run at UCLA is the perfect display of the poise Flynn is developing in the half-court as he knocks down a middy over 6-foot-9 center Chimezie Metu for game point.
He might not need to go to it often, but having this in his bag can open up more for Flynn when he comes off of ball screens.
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Finishing
There’s something to be said about getting downhill.
During the 2021-22 season, Flynn was 18 of 30 in the restricted area and seven of his 12 misses were blocked shot attempts. Not too shabby for a 6-foot-1 guard that won’t blow you away with his bounce.
En route to his 52-point performance at the Drew League and in the clip below at UCLA, Flynn has been controlled on his drives and had some impressive below-the-rim finishes.
In what was essentially an intrasquad scrimmage on a Rico Hines run, Barnes pressed up on Flynn, who handled the ball pressure and used his body to fend off Barnes’ 6-foot-9 frame while completing the off-hand finish.
Flynn won’t be looked upon to finish around the rim that often, but players will press up on him with hopes of speeding him up and, if his jumper remains consistent, running him off the 3-point line.
For a second unit that needs a consistent scoring punch, Flynn has the tools to be something of a third-level scorer.
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When talking about Flynn’s offensive game, it is important to mention his ability to set the table and make plays for others. Nurse has cited Flynn’s ability to be a “floor general” as a strength but also pointed out the ways in which he can do more.
Summer runs aren’t necessarily where you can see defensive takeaways, but Flynn can complete the Year 3 breakout by getting back to being the type of defender he was when he earned the Mountain West’s Defensive Player of the Year honor for the 2019-20 season. .
If Flynn can develop into a defensive pest, he can wear out opposing guards and make life much easier for VanVleet, who is already among one of the league’s best defensive guards despite taking on a heavy workload minutes-wise.
This upcoming season provides Flynn with the most continuity of his young career and based on the confidence he’s put on display this offseason, he’s ready to make the most of it.