Minnesota Timberwolves: What if…Jonny Flynn had never been hurt?

The Minnesota Timberwolves made a controversial move in the 2009 draft by picking Jonny Flynn right after Ricky Rubio. What if Flynn had never been hurt?

The name Jonny Flynn is a dirty word to most Minnesota Timberwolves fans. Much like Andrew Wiggins, the 2009 draft, or Joe Smith; there are just some memories that fans don’t want to have.

Still, history can’t be denied, and the impact that Flynn had on the future of the Timberwolves franchise lasted long after Flynn departed from Minnesota. Because of that impact, fans might forget, Flynn’s rookie season actually showed a lot of promise.

In his rookie season, Flynn averaged 13.5 points, 4.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 41.7 percent from the field, 35.8 percent from the 3-point range, and 82.6 percent from the free throw line. All things considered, things were looking pretty good.

But we all know what would happen. Flynn would suffer an injury, then another, and he’d only play 53 games in his second season compared to 81 in his rookie one. The following season, Flynn joined the Houston Rockets, got injured, traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, and only ended up playing in 29 games.

But this is the “What If…” series. We don’t deal well with reality here.

So, what if? What if Flynn had never been injured? Would his talent be enough to propel the Minnesota Timberwolves to new heights? Or is there something we were missing?

Let’s take a look back.