DOTD: Tim Frazier Posts Career-High 19 Points, 13 Assists Against Brooklyn
Can we please set the record straight? Tim Frazier can ball, and he deserves to stick in the NBA.
He went undrafted, made a name for himself in summer league play, won D-League Rookie of the Year and MVP honors, and made the most of each NBA appearance despite playing with three teams in two years. In his most recent opportunity, the injury-riddled Pelicans signed the D-League sensation to a 10-day contract after receiving an injury exception from the NBA. Since then, he’s averaged 13 points, 5.2 assists, and 4.1 rebounds in 10 games, but saved his best performance for his most recent appearance.
Frazier looked like a man among boys on Sunday against the woebegone Nets, shooting and dishing the ball elegantly around the court. He went 7-11 from the field, 2-3 from downtown, and connected on the prettiest alley-oop you’ll see all year between defenders in traffic.
Frazier is playing like a man hell-bent on never returning to Maine, and his numbers don't lie -- he's scored in double figures each of the last three games, a stretch that includes dropping 11 points and seven assists against mighty San Antonio on the road.
The Penn State basketball legend will stay with New Orleans for the remainder of the regular season, but his stay in The Big Easy should extend well beyond this season. Guards Norris Cole and the oft-injured Eric Gordon are free agents after this year, and both struggle staying on the court. The Pelicans are in a unique situation; they own one of the NBA's most talented young stars in Anthony Davis, but will likely pick within the draft's top-seven picks -- some mocks have them taking Kentucky star Jamal Murray at No. 6. With a young nucleus in place, this team could use a facilitator like Frazier to provide at least a spark off the bench. He's proved that he can go up against the best and produce on a nightly basis, and with so much upside, it's hard to see why the Pelicans haven't started racing to offer him an extension.
Tim Frazier belongs in the NBA, and he's backed that notion up with tangible evidence. It's about time he stays there.
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