IN HIS second full season at G League level, Malachi Flynn was tremendous for the Austin Spurs, leading by example with an extremely productive campaign, earning himself All-G League First Team honours.

Flynn previously played in the NBA, selected by the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the 2020 draft, before spending four years playing at the top level for the Raptors, Knicks, Pistons, Spurs and briefly for the Hornets this year.

He is most known for his 50-point performance while playing for Detroit in its matchup against the Atlanta Hawks in a stunning showing off the bench. It was just the third 50-point performance in NBA history by a player coming off the pine, with Flynn shooting 18/25 from the field in a scoring explosion.

He was unfortunately unable to live up to those lofty heights moving forward, and fell out of favour with the Pistons, eventually signing with the Spurs in the G League. However, it may prove a career resurgence for the guard, who was immense throughout the 2024/25 season.

He was one of the best performers throughout the entire competition, posting a career-high 22.6 points per game to go with 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists in an excellent display of orchestrating offence for the Spurs.

Remarkably, Flynn shot 50 per cent from the field, which is rare for a guard taking that many shots, with the 27-year-old attempting 16 per game. At six-foot-one, he is far from the tallest player on the floor, but uses excellent handles and explosive speed to get separation from the defence, seemingly taking smart shots most of the time.

Renowned as a three-level scorer, Flynn’s impact from behind the arc was evident, nailing three triples a game while also averaging seven points in the paint. This ability to score from just about anywhere made him an extremely tough defensive matchup, and he could exploit the hesitancy of the opposition when guarding him.

It was evident Flynn was in for a big season from the season opener, with the guard dropping 35 points in Austin’s first match of the fixture, setting the tone for what proved to be a big campaign. He led the Spurs to the second seed with a record of 22-12 in the Western Conference, and although they fell short of the big dance, it was still a positive season.

Flynn has shown his ceiling at both NBA and G League level in the past, and his 2024/25 season showed an ability to perform at a consistent level. NBA teams in need of a crafty scorer may just be enticed by what he showed for the Spurs over the past seven months.