3 Raptors players who are standing out in tough second half
By Mike Luciano
The Toronto Raptors have been profoundly disappointing in the second half of the season, as their 2-5 record might actually be worse than it looks. Both wins came against a beat-up Nets team without any of their stars, and two of those five losses came against the Magic and Pistons.
The Raptors have seen big names like Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby get sidelined thanks to injuries, while starters like Gary Trent Jr. have struggled mightily from 3-point range. Converting on just 29% of their 3-pointers, Toronto has been tough to watch at times on the offensive end.
Despite all of the doom and gloom around this team at the moment, there have been some very nice improvements from individual players in this seven-game stretch. Those standout performances shouldn’t just be discarded because of Toronto’s win-loss record in that span.
While the Raptors are starting to lose ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race, that shouldn’t necessarily obscure the fact that these three players have made their mark with some sensational performances in the last few games. Time will tell if they can sustain this run of form.
These 3 Toronto Raptors are playing well in the team’s poor second half.
3. Malachi Flynn
It’s a shame that Flynn has been sidelined due to a hamstring injury, as he was playing some of the best basketball of his career. Flynn averaged 12.5 points and 4.5 assists per game since play resumed, making half of his shots while nailing 42% of his 3-point attempts.
Flynn was put into the rotation over Dalano Banton when VanVleet was sidelined, as Nick Nurse wanted someone with a bit more consistency on the offensive side of the ball. After stealing our hearts with his fantastic month of April last year, Flynn is setting the stage for yet another hot finish.
Malachi Flynn looks more confident for the Toronto Raptors.
Flynn is not guaranteed to return to Toronto next year, as losing his backup job to Banton right out of the gate was not a good look. However, Flynn is slowly starting to prove his worth to this organization, as he has been able to produce despite a dearth of talent around him due to injuries.
Flynn’s progress as a shooter is what is most encouraging given how he’s been all over the place in that area this season. Once he returns from injury, he should remain a valued part of the rotation for the remainder of the season while setting him up for success next year.