RAPTORS UPDATE: Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković Shared Advice from Tom Brady to Spark Malachi Flynn’s Development

Rajakovi, Darko Tom Brady Shared Advice to Help Malachi Flynn Develop

The Toronto Raptors are hoping that some Tom Brady advice will inspire Malachi Flynn to step up his game.
The Toronto Raptors are hoping Malachi Flynn can emulate Tom Brady’s developmental strategy.

 

 

The 29th overall pick in the 2020 draft has had a difficult first four seasons in the NBA. Except for a brief impressive stint at the end of his rookie season, Flynn’s playing time and opportunities have been limited, and he hasn’t exactly proven that he deserves more minutes when he has seen the court. He’s become a whipping boy for Toronto’s bench at times, personifying the Raptors’ lackluster developmental track record since their championship season and the team’s guard depth issue. He’s been the only backup point guard on a team desperate for guard talent for the better part of the last three seasons.

The Raptors, on the other hand, aren’t ready to give up on Flynn, who had his best game of the season earlier this week against Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks. The 6-foot-1 backup point guard came off the bench for nearly 15 minutes, hitting a pair of three-pointers and providing solid defense against one of the league’s most skilled guards.

“Malachi has been working hard. “He’s been working hard,” Chris Boucher said to reporters Wednesday night. “You could see that for four years that he wasn’t just there, he was learning and getting better, and now that he’s on the floor it’s amazing to see the decisions that he’s making but also how good he’s getting on the floor.”

Raptors coach Darko Rajakovi said he read an article about Brady’s relationship with Flynn earlier this season and shared it with Brady. Brady was the third-string quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines in 1996, and he complained to his coach, Lloyd Carr, that he wasn’t getting enough practice time to improve and show the coaching staff that he was worth a second look.

Brady recalled his coach telling him to take advantage of his limited opportunities. Even if you only have two reps, make the most of them.

“I forwarded that article to Malachi.” “Don’t think about whether you’re playing five minutes, seven minutes, or ten minutes; just make sure everything counts when you go out there,” Rajakovi said. “Go play defense, play the right way, set up your teammates, and then when you play in that rhythm without the pressure that you have to make shots, then shots come, and they fall down.”

Flynn’s shooting has been surprisingly inconsistent throughout his career for a player who came into the league with what was supposed to be a reliable three-point shot. But Toronto isn’t so concerned with Flynn’s ability to hit three-pointers when he enters the game; for the Raptors, Flynn’s development is focused on improving everything else he can.