Detroit Pistons guard Malachi Flynn caught the whole NBA community by surprise when he dropped his first-ever 50-point game in a loss against the Atlanta Hawks.
With Cade Cunningham sidelined due to a knee injury , Malachi Flynn soaked up 34 minutes of playing time, enough for him to do his damage. The former first-round pick shot 18-of-25 from the field and 9-of-12 from the free throw line, and he also had six rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
But while everyone was shocked by his random scoring explosion, Malachi Flynn said this isn’t new to him and it was more about proving to himself that he has what it takes to play at a high level in the NBA.
“Just showing myself that I can do some of those things,” Flynn said in an interview with FanDuel TV’s Run it Back via ClutchPoints on X (formerly known as Twitter). “I don’t think it’s a fluke in any way. It’s just proving to myself that I know I belong and I can do some things here.”
Malachi Flynn joins an exclusive club
Malachi Flynn was traded twice this season before coming to the Detroit Pistons. The San Diego State product was a fill-in in the OG Anunoby trade with the Toronto Raptors but didn’t have a big role. So, during the trade deadline, he was moved to Detroit when the New York Knicks acquired Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic.
With seven Detroit Pistons players in street clothes, Malachi Flynn had to play more, and he came away with a career-best performance. He nearly doubled up his previous career-high of 27 points and became just the third bench player in NBA history to record at least 50 points in a single game, joining Nick Anderson and Jamal Crawford.
Malachi Flynn also joined the likes of Terrence Ross, Tony Delk, Tracy Murray, and Corey Brewer for having the distinction of being a random role player to drop 50 in a game.
At least when it’s all said and done, Malachi Flynn can confidently say that he has done what Kevin Garnett, Magic Johnson, and Scottie Pippen, among other NBA superstars, weren’t able to do in their decorated careers.
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