On Wednesday night, Detroit Pistons guard Malachi Flynn recorded a stat line that he’s unlikely to forget anytime soon.
Malachi Flynn Explodes for Career Night
In 34 minutes off the bench, Flynn scored a career-high 50 points on 18-25 shooting from the field. In the fourth quarter, Flynn scored 19 points as the Pistons revved up for a comeback attempt. The four-year pro also tallied six rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
Malachi Flynn vs Atlanta Hawks
50 PTS
6 REB
5 AST
3 STL
18/25 FG#DetroitBasketball L pic.twitter.com/0R0z2zS7mY— A Walking Highlight (@11AWH) April 4, 2024
Getting into the lane all but at will, Flynn’s craftiness was only outmatched by his shooting touch. However, the best part of his night may have been the bucket that got him to 50.
As the Pistons double-teamed Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray at halfcourt, they caused a turnover. Chimezie Metu promptly found Flynn leaking out on the break and he got his easiest points of the night. On the sidelines, face of the franchise Cade Cunningham was fired up.
The camaraderie was heartwarming in what’s been a long and trying season for the Pistons.
After the game, Flynn reacted to his performance (h/t Bill Trocchi of the Associated Press):
“Right now, it’s tough because at the end of the day you want to win. But it does feel good to kind of take in the moment. I’m sure a couple of days from now, it will feel really good.”
Hawks head coach Quin Snyder also discussed Flynn’s performance.
“He was making contested shots and he got to the foul line, which got him going,” Snyder says. “We tried to get more aggressive on him and impact him, and he still made plays. He played great.”
Untapped Potential
Flynn was seen as a throwaway when the New York Knicks included him in their trade package for Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks. With career averages of 5.2 points and 1.8 assists per game, it wasn’t hard to see why. However, a first-round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Flynn has always had the potential to be more valuable than he’s shown thus far.
At San Diego State, Flynn was the All-MWC Player of the Year, All-MWC Defensive Player of the Year, and a Consensus All-American. In the last 24 games of his rookie season, Flynn averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game on 36.7 percent shooting from 3. The next season, he averaged 14.8 points and 6.0 assists per game when playing at least 30 minutes. Last season, Flynn capped off his 2022-23 campaign with 20 points on 50.0 percent shooting from the field in a 16-point win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
On Wednesday night, Flynn may have had just the type of performance he needs to jump-start his career.
The Washington native is in the final season of his rookie contract. Set to become a restricted free agent in the offseason, the Pistons could choose to retain him. However, the overlap between him and Marcus Sasser —whom Detroit took in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft —could lead to him and Detroit looking for a better fit.
