Of the five teams that passed on Stephen Curry in the 2009 NBA Draft, Minnesota probably has the most regret.
The Clippers, Grizzlies, Thunder and Kings each had one opportunity to select Curry ahead of the Warriors. The Timberwolves, on the other hand, had two. Not only did they own the No. 5 pick in the draft, but they had the No. 6 pick.
Minnesota used those picks to select two point guards, Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn. Rubio has gone on to have a solid NBA career, but Flynn's career ended almost as soon as it started.
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What happened to Jonny Flynn?
Flynn's NBA career got off to an encouraging start.
As a rookie on the Timberwolves, Flynn started in 81 games and averaged 13.5 points, 4.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals on .417/.358/.826 shooting splits. He scored 20 or more points 12 times and dished out five or more assists 33 times.
Flynn's best game came in a comeback win over the 76ers halfway through the season in which he finished with 29 points and nine assists. It came in a blowout loss, but Flynn (20 points) outscored Curry (8 points) in their first matchup against each other in the NBA.
Flynn earned a spot on the All-Rookie Second Team at the season's end, alongside Marcus Thornton, James Harden, Jonas Jerebko and DeJuan Blair.
Ahead of his sophomore season, Flynn underwent hip surgery to address an injury he suffered in the second-to-last game of his rookie season. He was said to have aggravated the injury while working out with the Timberwolves before Summer League.
Flynn was sidelined for the first 24 games of the 2010-11 season. He came off the bench when he returned, losing his starting spot to Luke Ridnour, who the Timberwolves signed in free agency. Flynn missed time around All-Star Weekend due to "complications" from his offseason procedure, which involved stiffness and soreness in his groin.
“In my opinion, [Flynn] came back way too soon,” former Timberwolves head coach Kurt Rambis told Grantland in a story published in 2013. “I could see that he wasn’t ready to explode off that leg. He hadn’t fully recovered from it. Management was pushing him to come back, to start playing. I didn’t think he was ready to play.
"The surgeon felt that he had recovered from the surgery and was ready to play, but just watching him out there, he wasn’t able to do the things that he was doing prior to the surgery. I didn’t think he was ready to play, and as a result, he didn’t play anywhere near his level that he ended his first season with.
"He lost a lot of confidence. Fans were booing him. We weren’t playing well as a team.”
Flynn ended up appearing in 53 of a possible 82 games in his sophomore season. His averages dropped to 5.3 points, 3.4 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 0.6 steals. His numbers declined further in the 2011-12 season, which he split with the Rockets and Trail Blazers.
Flynn joined Detroit's training camp roster for the 2012-13 season, but he was later waived, leading to him spending the season overseas with the Melbourne Tigers of Australia's National Basketball League. He returned to the United States after the season to play for the Pacers and Clippers in the 2013 NBA Summer League.
After not landing on an NBA roster, Flynn went back overseas to play for the Chinese Basketball League's Sichuan Blue Whales and Italy's Orlandina Basket between 2013 and 2014. Flynn suffered a hamstring injury after two games with Orlandina Basket. He and the team then "parted ways."
Flynn hasn't played anywhere professionally in the decade since.
Jonny Flynn NBA stats
- 163 games (90 starts)
- 22.9 minutes per game
- 9.2 points per game
- 3.9 assists per game
- 1.9 rebounds per game
- 0.7 steals per game
- 2.3 turnovers per game
- 40.0 percent field goal shooting
- 33.8 percent 3-point shooting
- 80.9 percent free throw shooting
Jonny Flynn NBA career highs
- Points: 29 vs. 76ers (Jan. 18, 2010)
- Assists: 14 vs. Pistons (March 2, 2011)
- Rebounds: 8 vs. Knicks (Jan. 31, 2010)
- Steals: 4 vs. Nets (Dec. 23, 2009)
