For Malachi Flynn, it was the kind of chance that hasn’t come along very often this season.
With Fred VanVleet lost to COVID protocols, Dalano Banton out with a right knee contusion and Goran Dragic on an indefinite leave of absence, Flynn was literally Toronto’s only conventional option at point guard in the lead-up to Tuesday’s loss to the Sixers. As the last floor general standing, he was essentially handed his first start of the season by default. And if you were being kind, you could have found some positives from his performance in a 114-109 loss. His defence was at least partly responsible for holding Philadelphia counterpart Tyrese Maxey to five points on 2-for-11 shooting.