Malachi Flynn had never heard of Darko Rajakovic before learning that his Toronto Raptors were hiring a new head coach.
After ten games, he knows Rajakovic was exactly what his career needed.
Step one for any good coach moving to a new team is learning about the people they will be dealing with, whether they are management, coaches, players, or support staff.
A coach like Rajakovic will obviously place a greater emphasis on his roster’s players, as improving or retaining those talents is his primary role as head coach.
Coming into this season, Malachi Flynn’s role was a big unknown.
He’d play minutes like the player he knew he could be, only to be benched by then-head coach Nick Nurse.
The sporadic nature of his minutes and reliance on making shots to keep him on the floor played mind games with the now 25-year-old guard, who admits he did not handle it well.
Flynn became obsessed with making every opportunity perfect. A missed shot put an end to that pursuit of perfection. Any freedom or joy in his game would vanish, as would any hope of breaking out of a shooting slump.
It was the first thing Rajakovic noticed when he was researching all of his new players and came across the Malachi Flynn tape. At the time, his goal was straightforward.
“To put a smile on his face,” Rajakovic said after practice on Tuesday. “You know, I told him the first time we met that when you smile, have fun out there, compete, and play with joy, you’re a completely different player.” I don’t care if you’re on the court for five minutes, ten minutes, or fifteen minutes; just go out there and do your best to help the team win a game.
“So he embraced that,” Rajakovic explained. “At the start of the season, he wasn’t sure if I was serious or not.” But now there’s a noticeable difference in him. And I have to admit that Dennis Schroder played an incredible role (in that), simply by spending time with him, encouraging him, and helping him as a teammate. What those two guys are doing together is fantastic.”
Flynn recalls his first meeting with Rajakovic in person this summer.
“He just kept it real,” said Flynn. “He said he was going to give me a chance, that he thought I could help the team, and what he saw happening.” I’m very grateful for that.”
The message that his minutes would no longer be based solely on shots made or missed was the biggest boost for Flynn.
He doesn’t care if I miss or make shots,” Flynn explained. “It’s more about how I’m looking out there, whether I’m involving other guys or playing defensively.” So, I think his last concern is me making shots, and when I do, it’s obviously a plus.”
It’s strange how when the pressure, even if some of it is self-inflicted, is relieved, the results begin to improve.
Flynn isn’t taking many shots these days, but when he does, he’s hitting them at a higher rate than most in the league.
Flynn, who averaged 36% three-point shooting in college and never shot better than 35.3% in his first three seasons, is hitting 45.8% of his threes through 10 games. That’s not just a respectable score; it’s the Association’s 16th highest.
His overall field goal percentage is also higher than it has been in his fourth year in the league. Flynn is shooting the ball at a 46.3% clip, never breaking 40% in his first three seasons.
But, once again, Flynn’s comeback is about much more than his shooting.
He’s filling in at point guard for Schroder and making a good impression. He’s picking up opposing guards full court like Schroder, putting opponents on the defensive right away.
After the Raptors began the season by allowing too many second-chance opportunities simply by failing to rebound the ball after getting stops, Flynn was one of the Raptors who prioritized finishing defensive possessions with a rebound.
His numbers aren’t eye-catching, but that’s not the role he plays.
And if Rajakovic needed proof of that smile, he didn’t have to look far after Monday’s comeback victory over Washington.
Flynn was beaming from ear to ear after contributing more than nine minutes to the comeback. It was an extension of Rajakovic’s trust in him, but with the game on the line and in “winning time,” as Flynn calls it, those minutes meant a little more.
Rajakovic chose to spend a portion of the fourth quarter with both of his point guards on the floor together for the first time this season, and he was pleased with the results.
“We had planned to do it, but (Monday) night was just the right time for us to try it, and you know, it’ll probably happen again,” Rajakovic explained.
When that happens, Flynn’s smile will most likely become even brighter.
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