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The San Antonio Spurs set out this summer to improve the roster around 20-year-old phenom Victor Wembanyama. They continue to do so, adding Malachi Flynn on a one-year deal.
Shams Charania of The Athletic was first with reports.
Flynn is most known for his 50-point performance against the Atlanta Hawks on April 3 last season.
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In scoring 50 points off the bench, Flynn became just the third player in NBA history to have such a game. His efforts no doubt influenced his value on the free agency market.
He’ll join a Spurs backcourt rotation that features all of Chris Paul, Stephon Castle, Tre Jones, and Devin Vassell. Playing time is no guarantee for Flynn, who’s played for three teams since being drafted in 2020.
It’s what he does with the opportunities he’s given, like in that April 3 game against the Hawks, that will determine his role next season in San Antonio, and beyond.
Chris Paul Tabbed ‘Best New Weapon’ For Spurs
Coming off of a 22-60 season that saw Wembanyama win Rookie of the Year, the Spurs knew an upgrade at point guard was priority one.
In signing Chris Paul, they accomplished what they set out to do. Dan Favale of Bleacher Report wrote that the 39-year-old is San Antonio’s “best new weapon” going into next season.
And it’s all based on Wembanyama.
“Plopping CP3 beside Victor Wembanyama is a potential cheat code—a horrifying possibility if you’re a rival team, because Wemby is already an entire cluster of cheat codes by himself,” Favale wrote on August 7.
Per Stathead, only 12 players logged 2,000 or more minutes and recorded a 30% or higher usage rate in the regular season.
Wembanyama sits among them, next to household names like Anthony Edwards, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jalen Brunson and Luka Doncic.
Adding a floor-general like Paul, who ranks third all-time in assists, will open up the floor for Wembanyama. Him being off the ball open up his game as a scorer, after averaging 21.4 points per game.
“Paul may pound the air out of the ball on a handful of possessions, but he remains an expert defensive manipulator and offensive chaperone,” Favale continued. “Wemby should get to spend even more time in a play-finishing role, both at the rim and from beyond the arc.”
According to Cleaning the Glass, with starter Tre Jones and Wembanyama on the floor last season, the Spurs scored 114 points per 100 possessions. That ranks in the 43rd percentile.
With anyone else at point guard and Wembanyama on, San Antonio scored 102.6 points per, which ranks in the third percentile.
Jones coming off the bench behind Paul should stabilize the Spurs offense. And in turn, will help Wembanyama’s ascension as a scorer.
Spurs Tabbed As Landing Spot For De’Andre Hunter
Until the buzzer sounds to start the first quarter of the regular season, San Antonio will continue performing due diligence on available talent.
When you’re home to a talent like Wembanyama, you have to. That’s why Tyler Conway listed the Spurs among top landing spots for Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter.
“The Spurs are ready to start building an actual basketball team around Victor Wembanyama, and Hunter is the exact type of player who has always thrived under coach Gregg Popovich,” Conway wrote in an August 7 column. “San Antonio also has money to spend and a couple assets it could throw Atlanta’s way to make the trade seem palatable.”
Hunter is coming off of his fifth NBA campaign, all as a member of the Hawks. He averaged 15.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 57 regular-season appearances last year.
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