Tag: malachi flynn

Malachi Flynn: First player this season to play in NBA and G League on the same day

The Raptors rookie became the first player this season to play in the NBA and G League on the same day.

Just 30 minutes after helping the Raptors 905 to a win in the NBA G League, Malachi Flynn was summoned from the bubble in Orlando to join Toronto in Milwaukee where the rookie became the first player this season to play in both the NBA and G League on the same day.

Flynn produced 16 points, five assists and four rebounds on Thursday morning in a win over the Salt Lake City Stars. Immediately following the game, 905 general manager Chad Sanders approached Flynn on the team bus and said he was needed with the parent club.

With Kyle Lowry out with a thumb injury, the Raptors recalled Flynn from the 905 just in time to play versus the Bucks. Toronto managed to pull off the 110-96 win mostly without Flynn, with the 29th overall pick logging just five minutes of work.

Still, the day was rather eventful for the rookie.

“I was going to go straight to Minnesota and meet the team,” Flynn said, “and then like 10 minutes later (Chris) just asked, ‘You want to just go straight to Milwaukee?’ I said, ‘Yes. Of course.’ I had about 30 minutes to pack my bags and then got on a jet and came right (to Milwaukee). I got here with 30 minutes left (until the start of the game).”

Players appearing in both leagues on the same day is rather common since some NBA teams are in close proximity to their G League affiliates. However, it is relatively rare that an individual will play in two different states on the same day as Flynn did on Thursday.

Of course, the circumstances of this season, with the G League in a bubble environment at the Wide World of Sports Complex, have created unique situations and Flynn may not be the last to play in both leagues on the same day.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Raptors recall rookie Malachi Flynn from NBA G League assignment

Flynn is expected to be available Thursday on the road versus the Bucks after playing earlier in the day in the G League bubble.

On Thursday, the Toronto Raptors announced that they have recalled first-round pick Malachi Flynn from assignment with the Raptors 905 in the NBA G League.

Flynn appeared in six games with the 905, averaging 20.8 points and 5.5 assists on 40.9% shooting from 3-point range. He produced 16 points, five assists and four rebounds in his final game on Thursday morning in a win over the Salt Lake City Stars.

The Raptors recalled Flynn with Kyle Lowry questionable to play with a thumb injury Thursday on the road versus the Milwaukee Bucks. Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said prior to the game that Flynn is expected to be available to play after flying in from Orlando.

With the Raptors shorthanded, Flynn may be needed to fill in after logging 33 minutes earlier in the day with the 905. Players in the past have played both in the NBA and G League on the same day but rarely have they played in two different cities in both leagues.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Raptors’ Malachi Flynn puts up 25 points on NBA G League assignment

The Raptors’ first-round pick came out of the gate aggressive on Friday, scoring 10 points alone in the first quarter.

Aided by a strong first-half performance, Toronto Raptors first-round pick Malachi Flynn produced a dominating effort Friday on assignment with the Raptors 905 in the NBA G League.

Flynn scored 25 points, including 17 in the first half, eight rebounds, six assists, one steal and one blocked shot in 36 minutes of work. He shot 10-of-20 from the field, including 3-of-10 from 3-point range in the 138-126 loss to the Erie BayHawks.

The 29th overall pick came out of the gate aggressive to start the contest and had great success penetrating into the paint and driving to the basket. He had a couple of strong finishes at the rim to draw contact and get to the free-throw line.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fD_HMi8ivk

While Flynn has yet to find his 3-point touch, the 22-year-old has proven to be dominant on assignment with the 905 through two games. The chance to play in the bubble will be key in his development this season and it should only pay dividends for the organization.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Notable names to know during the G League bubble season

Top prospects like Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Green are competing against NBA veterans like Jeremy Lin.

The 2021 NBA G League season, featuring big names like Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Green, kicked off Wednesday afternoon.

Even before the pandemic, this season was going to look and feel different than any other because it was the debut of the G League Ignite squad. This is the inaugural campaign for the team, an alternative to the NCAA that offers a pathway to the NBA for top prospects.

But this season is also different than normal because, just like the NBA did to finish out the 2019-20 season, the league is playing in a bubble location at the ESPN Wide World of Sport Complex in Florida.

The seventeen teams that opted into playing will have a condensed schedule of fifteen games between Feb. 10-March 6. Single-elimination playoffs begin on March 8 and the NBA G League Finals is on March 11.

Below are some of the most interesting players worth tracking as the games continue over the next few weeks.

Raptors assign rookie Malachi Flynn to NBA G League affiliate

Toronto announced that rookie Malachi Flynn has been assigned to the Raptors 905 in the NBA G League ahead of the start of the 2021 season.

On Wednesday, the Toronto Raptors announced that rookie Malachi Flynn has been assigned to the Raptors 905 in the NBA G League ahead of the start of the 2021 season.

Flynn, this season, has played sparingly with the Raptors, averaging 2.2 points and 1.2 assists in 13 appearances. He has not played significant time since logging 14 minutes in a 20-point win at home over the Miami Heat on Jan. 22.

With Flynn joining the Raptors 905, the move will give him the opportunity to play steady minutes and stay in a rhythm, and continue his development.

The G League last week released the full 135-game and TV schedule for the 2021 season set to tip off on Feb. 10 at the Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Florida. Eighteen teams, including the Raptors 905, will each play 15 games through March 6.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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2020 NBA Draft Big Board 5.0: Final update ranking Top 100 prospects

After numerous delays and postponements, front offices and draftniks have had more time to analyze the 2020 NBA draft than any previous year.

After numerous delays and postponements, front offices and draftniks have had more time to analyze the 2020 NBA draft than any previous year.

Originally scheduled for June, the ongoing pandemic pushed the big night back by five months. While this may cause some teams to overthink their decisions, it gave analysts plenty of time to study all of the top prospects eligible in this class.

This year, players had to participate in a mostly virtual pre-draft process. On the bright side, this meant that teams had the opportunity to interview more candidates than ever before.

However, the number of in-person visits were incredibly limited due to the restrictive parameters set by the league. Similarly, the NBA draft combine was conducted without the typical scrimmages where players can separate themselves from the others with impressive on-court performances.

Overall, the players that stood out in this pre-draft process had a different path to recognition than any other year. College basketball players did not have the opportunity to showcase themselves during March Madness. The nation’s top seniors did not get to participate in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.

As such, executives will rely mostly on the existing game footage as well as the intel they gathered during their conversations with the prospects. We also depended on similar strategies, getting access to one-on-one interviews with more than three dozen prospects and exchanging our thoughts with various scouts across the league.

This helped us put together our final big board, looking at the Top 100 players ranked on their potential to make a difference for teams in the NBA.

Relevant statistics were pulled from Synergy Sports Tech, Bart-Torvik, KenPom, Open Look Analytics and RealGM. Note that the age listed for each player references how old they will be on the night of the draft.

NBA draft: Player comparisons for projected first-rounders

One of the most compelling ways to quickly study any draft class is to look at the NBA comparisons for all of the prospects available.

One of the most compelling ways to quickly study any draft class is to look at the NBA comparisons for all of the prospects available.

Now that the 2020 NBA draft is less than two weeks ago, all of the folks looking for a crash course in learning more about the players that will be available for selection can use this as a guide for the potential outlook of each projected first-round draft pick.

This exercise is far from foolproof, of course, considering that outcomes for each prospect will depend heavily on the teams that draft them as well as the roles they are given and the development process that surrounds them.

But this does give a sense of the archetype that each top prospect fits in so casual fans can get a more succinct view of the next generation entering the league.

While our own opinion was also included, we also studied comparison models and surveyed other experts, including conversations with NBA scouts around the league, to give the best context available. The results included were the most common responses.

NOTE: All comparisons pulled from NBADraftcomp.herokuapp.com are based on statistics per 40 minutes. 

2020 NBA aggregate mock draft 8.0: Draft day ranges for top prospects

The 2020 NBA draft is fairly unpredictable and prospects have wider ranges in where they could get selected when it is all said and done. 

The 2020 NBA draft is fairly unpredictable and prospects have wider ranges in where they could get selected when it is all said and done.

We looked at mock drafts from NBADraft.net, ESPN, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, The Ringer, Stadium, SI.com, USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s Rookie Wire, USA Today and Yahoo to give us a more clear understanding of consensus rankings and projections.

This also provided context for realistic high-end and low-end predictions for the players most often included in mock drafts.

Please note that the range included for each player is not based on our own reporting or intel and it only reflects the data pulled from the various mock drafts.

The full list of our latest aggregate mock draft rankings can be found here. HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report.

2020 NBA aggregate mock draft 8.0: Draft day ranges for top prospects

The 2020 NBA draft is fairly unpredictable and prospects have wider ranges in where they could get selected when it is all said and done. 

The 2020 NBA draft is fairly unpredictable and prospects have wider ranges in where they could get selected when it is all said and done.

We looked at mock drafts from NBADraft.net, ESPN, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, The Ringer, Stadium, SI.com, USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s Rookie Wire, USA Today and Yahoo to give us a more clear understanding of consensus rankings and projections.

This also provided context for realistic high-end and low-end predictions for the players most often included in mock drafts.

Please note that the range included for each player is not based on our own reporting or intel and it only reflects the data pulled from the various mock drafts.

The full list of our latest aggregate mock draft rankings can be found here. HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report.

NBA Draft prospect Malachi Flynn models his game after Chris Paul

Malachi Flynn, an NBA Draft prospect out of San Diego State, says he tries to takes part of Thunder PG Chris Paul’s game and put them into his own.

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Projected second-round pick Malachi Flynn emerged as a strong ballhandler and playmaker during his time in college and that may be no coincidence considering he has modeled his game after future Hall of Famer Chris Paul.

Flynn spent the first two years of his collegiate career at Washington State but transferred to San Diego State last year. He was named the Mountain West Player of the Year after averaging 17.6 points, 5.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 32 games played.

The 21-year-old recently sat down with Matt Babcock of BasketballNews.com and discussed a variety of topics, including why he watches Paul.

I would say Chris Paul because of how smart he is off the pick-and-roll. During his younger days, he was a lot faster, but just seeing how his game has evolved over the years, he still gets whatever he wants off the pick-and-roll. He’s a good leader in my opinion. I feel like he plays to win, and plays on both ends of the floor. He’s just someone that I’ve always watched and admired. I certainly try to take things from his game.

Flynn is most commonly projected to be an early second-round pick but some believe he could be a late first-round pick. He is likely ready to contribute to the second unit of an NBA team given his ability to make plays and get his teammates involved.

The NBA Draft is scheduled to take place on Nov. 18.

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