Malachi Flynn had his best game of the season against the Dallas Mavericks on Nov. 8.
Flynn set the tone for the second unit. He had 8 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 0 turnovers.
The bench as a whole produced 34 points as the Raptors got their first win in Dallas since 2019.
Flynn came into this season with a lot more expectations placed on him. Rajakovic showed a willingness to play Flynn and he earned a spot in the rotation.
Prior to the game against the Mavericks, it was a rough start for Flynn. He couldn’t quite get things going and his shot was off.
However, now with a good game under his belt the Raptors are hoping better days are here for him.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Aaron Rose, Darko Rajakovic said he shared an article he read about Tom Brady’s journey with Flynn earlier this season.
“I shared that article with Malachi. Like don’t think about like, am I playing five minutes, seven minutes, 10 minutes, make sure that everything counts when you go out there. Go play defense, play the right way, set up your teammates, and then when you play in that rhythm without the pressure that you have to make shots, then shots come, and they fall down.”
If Flynn can continue to improve on his shooting and all of the little things that would serve as a huge plus for the Raptors. The back guard point guard role has been an area of need. Flynn has an opportunity to take this role and run with it.
Flynn’s performance against the Mavericks looked like a step in the right direction. There are going to be a lot more games where the Raptors need to rely on its bench and Flynn to deliver.
Irving gives Raptors their flowers
Going back to Flynn’s performance against the Mavericks, it was his stingy defense on Kyrie Irving that also caught a lot of attention.
After the game Irving had some high praise about the Raptors as a whole.
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