No. 2: Malachi Flynn
The Toronto Raptors drafted Malachi Flynn with the 29th pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, hoping to develop the heir apparent to Kyle Lowry at point guard. Instead, Flynn's best season was his rookie year, averaging just 7.5 points and 2.9 assists per game, and no one batted an eye when the Raptors sent him out in the OG Anunoby trade this past season.
The New York Knicks didn't prioritize Flynn either, playing him just 60 minutes across 14 games before dumping him on the Detroit Pistons at the Trade Deadline. Detroit is where young guards go to die, and nothing different was expected for Flynn.
Then one of the most surprising games in recent NBA hsitory occurred. The Pistons, short-handed and being blitzed by the Atlanta Hawks, checked Malachi Flynn into a March game and saw him absolutely go off, eventually dropping a whopping 50 points on the Hawks. It was arguably the most unlikely 50-point game in NBA history.
That one game may be enough for a team to offer Flynn more than a minimum deal this summer. Do the Detroit Pistons want to commit money and a roster spot to him? Perhaps they will. It's also very likely that they add a top-tier guard prospect in this year's draft and, alongside Jaden Ivey, Marcus Sasser and Cade Cunningham, feel that they have the position well-filled.
That could open the door for the Raptors to bring Flynn back and see if he has developed any juice in the past few months. Such a game suggests there is untapped potential in his game, but the question becomes whether the Raptors or anyone else can manage to uncover it.