Malachi Flynn’s 50-point outburst sparks viral reaction: Best memes and tweets

NBA basketball in April is an anomaly. Some teams are jostling for postseason bids and seeding, and others are mailing it in with the offseason in mind — like the Detroit Pistons. 

After being eliminated from playoff contention, the Pistons and other franchises enter “silly season,” also known as the portion of the campaign where some of the most random players in the Association surprisingly emerge and put up wacky stat lines we are not used to seeing from them.

Pistons point guard Malachi Flynn, whom the team acquired as part of the trade with the New York Knicks that included veteran wings Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks, was the latest silly season warrior, scoring 50 points off the bench (!) on Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks.

Flynn shot 18-of-25 from the floor, including five made 3s, adding six rebounds, five assists, and three steals in 34 minutes of action, putting himself in elite company in multiple and making history. 

History aside, here are the best memes and tweets after Flynn shocked the basketball world with his unimaginable 50-piece.

Malachi Flynn scores 50 points: Best memes and tweets

All-Stars and potential MVP candidates Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jalen Brunson were the only three players in the league to score 50 or more points while shooting at least 70 percent from the floor in a game this season. Flynn joining this list was not on my bingo card, or anyone’s for that matter.

The 2020 first-round pick becomes arguably the most improbable player to drop 50 in a single game based on this stat from ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. His career-high before Wednesday was 27 points, a mark he surpassed at halftime (31). 

Flynn scored more than half as many points on Wednesday night versus the Hawks than he has throughout the entire season (98).

Despite the 50-point outburst, Detroit still found a way to lose this game, putting a bow on what has been a hilariously disastrous and wacky season for the Pistons while encapsulating what silly season is all about.

Prime Kobe Bryant or Flynn? It would be hard to differentiate the two based on Wednesday's remarkable performance.

Entering restricted free agency this offseason, Flynn and his agents should have the highlights from this game ready for front-office executives as he looks to secure a multi-year deal, whether with the Pistons or another team.