HiJiNX wrote:gbball wrote:
There was a stat this year that surprised me and didn't surprise me. It was when he played like 9 games in a row for the first time in his career under Darko.
For those who've said he's had a chance here, especially under Nurse...that stat should tell you he didn't.
This game was probably a blip, but after watching, it wasn't like we went crazy from 3 or anything, everything just came in the flow of the game and he mostly took what the defense gave him. The main difference was he was taking and hitting his midrange pullups off the screen and roll and he got to the line more than usual. He was just playing and Detroit had no one else who could score reliably, so Monty let him keep going with a green light. He wasn't even hogging it, his teammates just sucked. I don't think he's the type to commandeer a team to showcase himself like Fred did, so a game like this was a result of the stars aligning where he was free to look for his offense, he was feeling comfortable game wise and the team he played wasn't doing a good job defensively.
But it was refreshing to see him just go out there and play ball, not trying to prove anything. Atlanta's defense also sucks, which helps.
I said before that him never scoring more than 30 here after going for multiple 20+ point games in his rookie year was an indictment on Nurse. He's a potential microwave scorer who was told not to shoot, not to shoot runners or mid-range shots, to play off-ball, not to use screens. He just couldn't play freely here, and by the time Darko arrived, the damage was done.
Also, him having playing with Lowry, Fred, Schroeder, Brunson, and Cade and for different coaches probably doesn't hurt his development. I hope he sticks somewhere. I would even bring him back.
I'm just glad Nurse is gone. I can only imagine what he would've done to Gradey's career after some early struggles.
Funny thing about opportunity…just being on a team in the league and getting into games for short spurts doesn’t mean he was given the opportunity to develop. You need meaningful reps, in games, in the parts of games that matter.
Growing up playing ball, when I was young I remember one coach I played for had me riding the bench. I only got garbage minutes, and was never really allowed to play my game as a natural PG (I’m tall so I was constantly put in forward positions despite being a natural playmaker in transition and the half-court). So every time I did get a chance to play I was either out of rhythm from inconsistent playing time, trying to do too much to prove I deserved more playing time which led to mistakes, or playing in a role that didn’t suit the things I did well (and exacerbated my weaknesses because despite my height, I was a twig and couldn’t score down low). Essentially I wasn’t put in a position to succeed. So I failed. And I believed I was only good for defence and rebounding, which I was legitimately always good at. I didn’t even want the ball when I got it because I didn’t believe I could do anything with it. Being a kid who didn’t have delusional confidence, I almost gave up on playing the sport completely. Fast forward a few years and I get a coach who recognized my potential, built up my confidence by giving me the ball and letting me play through mistakes and all of a sudden I’m winning awards. Confidence and role and real opportunity matters. I don’t think Flynn ever got a real shake here. Having never played in nine games in a row says that he never really got a fair shake here.
That’s not to say that Flynn will end up being a competent NBA basketball player, but he’s shown many flashes over the years. He has also played like a guy whose confidence was ruined and confidence is a hard thing to get back, especially when you’re already in the league where nobody gives a damn about your struggles and why you’re struggling, they only want you to produce, and if you can’t? Then it’s **** you, peace out. Enjoy playing in China.
So it’s nice to see Flynn get a 50 piece. I’m not sure why the reaction to him having a once in a lifetime game, that might signal that Flynn has something, is triggering so much blowback. I don’t even like the guy (I think his personality is dry and has a too good for others quality to it) but I hope he can figure it out for his sake. Scoring 50 in the NBA, regardless of opponent and time of year, is an accolade. It signals talent.
People bring up TRoss and Charlie V as counterarguments but the reality is TRoss spent a decade in the league and his body looked the same the entire time, indicating that he didn’t really work hard, while Charlie V had so much natural talent but again, just didn’t care about basketball enough to do anything with it. There are flaws in using those guys as counter arguments.
All this to say—good for Malachi. Hopefully this helps him turn his career around. I always thought he had enough to be a competent backup in the league who could be a spot starter if necessary. Maybe he doesn’t end up being that, but he might have earned himself a chance to show it. That said, he might still be better off going to Europe to develop his game and confidence as I’m not sure he truly is an NBA player (doesn’t seem to have the maturity in game or mental toughness). And if he never makes it he still has a dope achievement he can lean on.
He has scored 50 points in an NBA game.