With 5:38 left in the first quarter in a game between the Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks, deep into the garbage time of the 2023-24 season, Malachi Flynn got up from the Pistons bench, strolled over the scorer’s table and checked in.
He was, unbeknownst to everyone, on the cusp of NBA history.
Flynn went on to play 34 minutes and three seconds of the remaining 42:22 in the April 3 matchup and made 18 shots — five of them threes — and nine free throws.
By the time his night was done, the then-four-year NBA veteran had scored 50 points, nearly double his previous career high (27 points) and almost triple his season best (17) that season. It also made him one of just 25 active players to have hit the half-century mark.
The Pistons did end up losing for a 63rd time in what was a franchise-worst 14-68 season, and Flynn would follow up his career night by going 0-of-12 from the floor and 0-of-7 from three while finishing with three points in 23 minutes two nights later in a loss to Memphis.
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However, Flynn earned himself a small slice of the NBA record book. His performance was the second-most points ever scored by someone coming off the bench in an NBA game (tied with Nick Anderson and trailing only Jamal Crawford’s 51), the most bench points scored in Pistons history and also the distinction of having the lowest career scoring average (4.0 points per game as of Wednesday) of anyone who has scored the many points in a single game.
This is not to, in any way, reduce Flynn’s accomplishment. The former Toronto Raptor may not have had the career he envisioned when drafted 29th overall in 2020, but not very many people get to call themselves NBA players, and only a fraction can say they scored more points than there are minutes in a regulation game. It does, however, draw attention to the murkiness of late-season NBA basketball, which is relevant given the current state the Raptors as they get ready to finish their four-game road trip against Golden State on Thursday night.
On one hand, the past few weeks have provided no shortage of encouraging stories as one fringe rotation player, or another, posts a box score they could only fantasize about while trying to carve out an NBA career from the slimmest of opportunities.
Whether it’s Orlando Robinson putting up a 25 and 12 double-double, Colin Castleton grabbing nine offensive rebounds or AJ Lawson going off for career bests of 32 points, 12 rebounds and seven made threes. You have to be pretty cold-hearted to not feel at least a little warm and fuzzy when guys whose NBA experience has nothing in common with nine-figure salaries and long-term, guaranteed deals enjoyed by the league’s upper classes seemingly grab a foothold on their dreams.
“It's all about the situation, and then once you get the opportunity, it's up to you to take advantage of that opportunity,” said Robinson, after his career night against Philadelphia last week. The seven-footer was undrafted in 2022 after three seasons at Fresno State and has been waived four times in his career — amounting to 101 games over three seasons with three teams in the NBA. “So guys like AJ, myself and JR (Raptors two-way signee Jared Rhoden), you know, that's what we're doing, taking advantage of the opportunity so that you don't sleep on us.”
Certainly, the handful of players that Toronto is and will be giving opportunities to at this stage of the season have done their part to get noticed.
- After signing a pair of 10-day deals and a two-way contract, on March 4 Robinson, 24, signed a regular NBA contract that will keep him a Raptor at least until the end of the season. And if his overall production doesn’t scream "NBA starter," there’s at least a glimmer of a role player in there, as he’s put up 11 points, eight rebounds and 3.1 assists — his passing perhaps his most standout skill – while playing 27 minutes a game through his last eight appearances. Toronto is 5-3 over that stretch
- Lawson, 24, has appeared in nine games since becoming a rotation regular on March 2 and has 13.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists while converting 35.6 per cent from three in 27.8 minutes a game, and 41 per cent from three in his last five games.
- Rhoden, 25, joined the Raptors on a two-way deal on March 4 and has averaged 13.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals with an effective field goal percentage of 51.2 per cent since.
- With the Raptors starved for size behind Jakob Poeltl, Castleton has gotten a long look through his second 10-day deal, which runs until Monday, March 24. He’s played some five and a lot of four alongside either Poeltl or Robinson, drawing positive remarks from head coach Darko Rajakovic for his ability to guard on switches on the perimeter. He’s averaged 7.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, two assists and a steal while shooting 51.2 per cent from the floor.
“It just shows such a great job that the front office is doing of bringing those guys on,” said Rajakovic. “And our (Raptors 905, Toronto's G League affiliate) bringing guys there, getting them incorporated in the system, and then you see those guys step on the floor and contribute to that well, you know, it's special.”
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It is special and doubtlessly gratifying for all involved.
The question is whether any of this late-season production on behalf of a Raptors team that would be fine — maybe even happy — to lose games with an eye on the draft lottery and against teams that are similarly motivated will translate into anything more meaningful than training camp invites next October.
Like NBA Summer League games or pre-season games, this time of the season is more about proving who isn’t capable of playing at the NBA level than who can. Results at the stage of the season are taken with a significant grain of salt.
“Someone has to score, especially on a bad team,” said one scout.
Another said: “I have a hard time giving any weight to roster guys playing well in March and April, let alone 10-day guys … but (having success) in casual games against teams trying to lose by playing 10-day guys? No different than summer league games. That’s just me, though.”
As an example, after Flynn’s big night for Detroit last year, the former Raptor played six more games for the Pistons in 2023-24 and this season was waived after being in training camp with San Antonio. He played four games in March for Charlotte on a 10-day contract, his last on March 10. He's scored a total of 60 points in the NBA since going off for 50 in 34 minutes against Atlanta last April.
The reality is that for every Garrett Temple — a 38-year-old Raptors veteran who has carved out a 15-year career and earned more than $50 million after signing nine 10-day contracts with five teams before finally getting regular employment — there are countless examples of players who shone in March and April without gaining any further traction.
Ardent Raptors fans may look back with fondness on a moment in time when Javon Freeman-Liberty, Joe Wieskamp or even Freddie Gillespie looked like diamonds in the rough for a minute or a week, but late-season success on teams playing out the string rarely portends future success.
Which is why a game like Thursday’s against the Warriors — who are locked in a seeding battle for top six in the West — could be more meaningful. Or maybe on April 4, when the Raptors host the Pistons, another winning team trying to solidify their playoff position. Strong outings against good teams playing important games likely carry significantly more weight for talent evaluators than a big result against the Wizards or the Hornets at this time of year.
But Golden State and Detroit are the only teams with winning records remaining on Toronto's schedule, meaning for a lot of players on the roster trying to prove themselves, those opportunities are few and far between.
As Flynn’s big night showed this time a year ago, present-day performance is no guarantee of future success.
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