You don’t get to the NBA without talent. It’s a global sport with only 450 full-time jobs at the highest level, so no one is admitted without a bucket of natural abilities that would shame most mortals.
But getting to the league is the easy part. Staying in the NBA – let alone thriving – is no given, no matter how prodigious the physical gifts.
It’s at this time of the season – after the draft buzz settles and the competition for jobs and playing time begins – that the other factors that go into NBA success begin to show and those who have seen the movie play out many times before can start to sense whether a new kid might have a chance to have a career.
The early returns on Toronto Raptors rookie Malachi Flynn?
He’s got a chance.
Raptors Newsletter
It would be foolish to make any kind of judgement at this stage – the Raptors don’t play their first exhibition game until Saturday night against the Charlotte Hornets – but you can look for signs.
And after one week all signs are positive for Flynn, the Raptors’ first-round pick and the 29th player taken in the 2020 draft.
“I like him, man,” said Raptors veteran Norman Powell, who knows what it takes to make it, having elbowed his way into the mix after being a mid-second-round pick in 2015. “He’s got a lot of game to him. He’s not afraid to bring the ball up. He’s not afraid to get guys in position. You can see that he is very smart.
“He’s had some great passes and in those few days of camp made some big shots in scrimmages and in games.”
That Flynn would fit in is not that surprising. His college numbers scream out to be heard as he finished first in the Division I in Win Shares with 7.4 – his Wins Shares per 40 minutes of .278 was fourth — and had per 40-minute averages of 21 points, 6.1 assists and 5.3 rebounds for a 30-2 San Diego State team. Flynn was player of the year in the conference, defensive player of the year and his team was dominant. Even at six-foot and 180 pounds, that will get attention.
But so far as a professional it’s how the 22-year-old is going about his day that is earning him recognition and even some respect – not easy for a rookie who is otherwise expected to be carrying bags and doing more listening than speaking.
“He’s an avid learner,” says Powell. “He’s always talking to Fred [VanVleet] in the morning on how he can improve his game and areas that he can get better so he doesn’t have that big gap of learning things like the new guys coming in are going to have because they didn’t go through the summer league process and all that. But I like him. He’s a player and he likes to compete and that’s what we need – scrappy guys like that.”
Raptors head coach Nick Nurse had the luxury of being able to play young players based on what they could contribute rather than out of necessity over his past two seasons. With a championship-level team and a veteran core, he’s under no pressure to run guys out on the floor because of their draft position, and with Kyle Lowry and VanVleet ahead of Flynn on the depth chart, it’s not like the Raptors are at a loss for elite point guard play. But in the Raptors’ upcoming exhibition games, Flynn is going to get a chance to prove himself the exception.
“He’s been very, very good,” said Nurse. “He’s got a great head for the game, kind of a baller, really knows how to play, understands a lot out there and he’s got some fearlessness to him. He’s got a shooting component; he’s got a finishing component to his offence. And, yeah, there’s a chance we could use him this year.
“I don’t ever like to get too carried away too early with young guys, as you know — there’s a long way from summer league and then the pre-season, and pre-season games and then the real games and things like that — but I would imagine this weekend you’ll get to see him and we’ll start making some evaluations. I would imagine he’ll get a good chunk of minutes this weekend in Charlotte.
Nurse says rookies who can carve a niche for themselves typically have two qualities – in addition to their skill and athleticism – that help them stand apart.
“It’s pretty clearly two things: One is competitiveness, right? Like how are they going after it, how do they value winning or finding ways to win or doing the little things required to win, how much do they fight to win? All of that to me is competitiveness,” said Nurse.
“And then the second one is knowing how to play. From what I’ve seen in five days from him, he’s got both of those things.”
Balancing confidence with the humility to ask questions and be open to advice is another useful element and Flynn seems to have that too. As the youngest of seven kids he’s used to bouncing around with older people and understanding how to fit in.
It’s a trait that’s now serving him well at work.
As an example, he’s made a point of building a relationship with VanVleet, who has turned himself into an elite point guard in large part because he over-indexes on qualities like IQ, perseverance and confidence.
“[VanVleet is] a really good player, and I’ve seen what he’s able to do over his career so far,” said Flynn. “So just being with a guy like that, and just trying to think of different things. It’s always good for a younger guy. I’m a rookie. I haven’t even played a game yet. For me, it’s not like I can just come in and act like I’ve been here. I’m just trying to soak up knowledge, and he’s one of the guys that I can get it from.”
Powell is impressed. He’s been in the league long enough to know what works and what doesn’t and who has what it takes and who doesn’t. So far? Flynn’s got it figured out.
“It’s the approach,” said Powell. “You know my mentality. You know my motto, you know what I stand for, and how I approach the game, so I look for guys that have that same hunger, that same drive and that same desire to get better each and every day; that guy that has that chip on his shoulder and wants to learn and is willing to learn, willing to listen and I know Malachi has that … Malachi is great. I’m excited for him.”
He’s been a pro for one week, but so far there seems plenty to be excited about, and the fact that he can play is just part of it.
