29th Overall Pick: Malachi Flynn (2020)
As the best player on one of the best collegiate teams, taking Malachi Flynn 29th overall had to be a steal – right?
With the Raptors coming off a successful post-Kawhi/bubble/what in the world is going on type of season, the front office had their eyes on potentially retooling the roster given the fact that Fred VanVleet was an unrestricted free agent and an aging Kyle Lowry only had one more year left on his contract.
Flynn entered the draft after averaging 17.3 PPG, 5.1 APG, and 4.5 RPG for an Aztec’s team that finished the season 30-2. Despite being undersized for NBA standards at six-foot-one, Flynn was an explosive guard who held a very similar skillset to VanVleet, who developed under the Raptors system.
Now obviously things didn’t work out exactly how Raptors fans were hoping for. Flynn was consistently inconsistent in his decision-making, and many times was found either turning the ball over or forcing up a contested shot which ultimately led to diminished minutes. In 175 games with the Raptors, Flynn shot just 38 percent from the field and 34 percent from three, and was eventually used as a throw-in for the New York Knicks in the OG Anunoby deal.
Maybe expectations were too high for Flynn at No. 29, but with Desmond Bane on the board and eventually getting drafted with the very next pick, Raptors fans would definitely love a do-over on this one.