Toronto Raptors: 3 things to love about first-round pick Malachi Flynn

The Toronto Raptors selected Malachi Flynn with the 29th pick of the 2020 NBA Draft. Let’s take a look at three facts to know about the first-round pick.

After a healthy amount of waiting, fans weren’t disappointed with the 2020 NBA Draft.

There was little surprise in the top three picks, an all but consensus order of Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman, and then LaMelo Ball. But beyond that there developed a number of surprises.

The first came at fourth overall, where the Chicago Bulls selected wing Patrick Williams. From there, the rest of the draft unraveled in a way that proved almost completely unpredictable. The Atlanta Hawks shocked the league by taking big man Onyeka Okungwu at sixth overall, and the Phoenix Suns made what most looked at as a huge reach in taking Jalen Smith at 10th overall.

Between trades, prospect jumps and slides, the ultimate order looks a lot different than a lot of publications’ final mock drafts. Not for the Toronto Raptors, however, who with the 29th pick of the first round drafted point guard Malachi Flynn out of San Diego State University.

He’s a prospect they’ve been tied to for weeks, in what feels like each and every mock draft, and for good reason. Flynn’s coming off of a solid senior campaign with the Aztecs; where he played (and started) all of 32 games and averaged 17.6 points, 5.1 assists, and 1.8 steals per game.

As the NBA’s free agency period prepares to kick off, let’s take a look at the Toronto Raptors’ first-round pick, and three things worth noting about Malachi Flynn going forward.

Above all else, it’s noteworthy that Malachi Flynn is a point guard

Given where the Toronto Raptors roster stands ahead of free agency, the largest (and most blatant) fact to consider about Malachi Flynn is that he is predominately a point guard.

Where we saw teams like the New York Knicks draft more of a combo guard in Immanuel Quickley, there’s no mistake when it comes to the Raptors prospect. And there’s no mistake in that, given that starter Fred VanVleet is headed into free agency with his future in Toronto up in the air.

While the list of teams with ample amounts of cap space is quickly dwindling, teams still aren’t sure whether the point guard will remain with the team or bounce elsewhere for a paycheck. The aforementioned Knicks loom as the biggest competition for his services, for what it’s worth.

VanVleet’s status made drafting a point guard the indisputable strategy for the Raptors on draft night, which is also why we saw them tied to Flynn in so many mock drafts in the weeks prior. The 22-year old point guard is a game manager and floor general in training, with ample amounts of data to suggest that he could one day man and thrive as an offensive engine in today’s NBA.

Flynn averaged over five assists per game for San Diego, but also posted a 2.8 assist-to-turnover ratio, proving his decision making is already adept for his age and experience level. As the Toronto Raptors move forward into an uncertain offseason, they’ve found insurance at point guard.