Jonny Flynn

The No. 6 pick in the 2009 draft was thought to be Minnesota's point guard of the future, but he had a disappointing rookie campaign. He averaged just 4.4 assists per game, while making 2.9 turnovers per game. Part of the problem was Flynn seemed a poor fit for Minnesota's offense since he felt better trying to score with the ball in his hands rather than distribute the ball in head coach Kurt Rambis' version of the triangle. His role for his second season is now unclear. In late July, Flynn underwent surgery to repair a tear in the labrum of his left hip. He could miss the first two months of the season as a result, and maybe longer. He'll likely return to the starting point guard job when healthy, but nothing is guaranteed on a Minnesota roster that's constantly churning players in a rebuilding effort.

Rookie point guards are a lot like rookie starting pitchers, or rookie quarterbacks. Teams tend to bring them along slowly, let them get acclimated to the pro game by logging some minutes at the two spot or bringing them off the bench behind a veteran. Jonny Flynn will not be on that plan. It seems ironic, given the amount of flack the T-Wolves took on draft night for selecting 37 point guards, but Flynn seems like the only real one on the Minnesota roster right now. Fifth overall pick Ricky Rubio is no closer to a buyout with his Spanish league team, and is more likely to play in Barcelona than Minneapolis this season. Sebastian Telfair is a Clipper. Randy Foye a Wizard. The ancient Chucky Atkins is the only other point on Minnesota’s current roster. Don’t expect Flynn to be intimidated by the challenge. He’s the guy who played 67 of a possible 70 minutes to lead Syracuse to a six-overtime win over Connecticut in the Big East tournament. Flynn reportedly struggled with his outside shot during Summer League play, but he was a 50-percent shooter from the floor in college.