With the Toronto Raptors down several players as of late, the team asked Malachi Flynn to be more aggressive and the rookie has responded with his best two games of the season.
Flynn tied a career-high with 16 points on Monday to help the Raptors erase a 19-point second-half deficit and defeat the Washington Wizards, 103-101. He also added six rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocked shots in 34 minutes of action.
“Malachi had a great game,” Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said. “He really packed the box score: Four steals, a couple of blocks, four assists, six rebounds. (A) really, really good game by him.”
The team knows that, with several starters out, getting aggressive performances from Flynn and others will be crucial in unlocking its offense. The results showed on Monday as Flynn had a crucial performance off the bench.
“He has just gotta be more aggressive,” Nurse said. “Right up the floor, when he sees an opening, he has gotta shoot in there. He doesn’t have to shoot, he can keep his dribble alive. You see guys keep the thing alive but he has gotta be aggressive that way. That is huge. If he can blast through there and get a few layups, that goes a long way in helping our offense.”
Two-way IMPACT from @malachiflynn in the @Raptors win!
🔥 16 PTS
🔒 4 STL
🚫 3 BLK pic.twitter.com/iQAQYir5VB— NBA Draft (@NBADraft) April 6, 2021
The performance by Flynn came after he set his career-high with 16 points on Friday night versus the Golden State Warriors. He now has three games scoring in double figures this season after playing sparingly throughout much of the year.
Nurse has stated that players like Flynn, who doesn’t often play, now have an opportunity to log significant minutes with several injuries on the roster. He appears to have stepped up and that production has been highly beneficial for the team.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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