I insinuated in a previous description that Tim Frazier was never actually good and was only putting up good stats because he was getting tons of playing time on bad teams that had no other choice at the point guard position. I actually didn’t just insinuate it: I said it straight up. And for that, I apologize. I committed the ultimate sin against the name of Frazier, and I am very, very sorry.
The reality of Frazier’s situation is that he has a very solid, bordering on low-tier All-Star, point guard who could start and be successful for ANY team in the NBA. And the further reality of his situation is that Dwane Casey hates him, just as he hates Christian Wood and how he has hated Jonas Valanciunas in the past. As a result of this hate (which is unearned), Frazier does not get the chances he has gotten in the past to put up the monster statlines we know he is capable of.
I don’t know who convinced Casey that tonight was a good night to start Frazier, but I thank them, because it was the best choice he ever could’ve made. Derrick Rose is great, but he’s better suited to his current “bench microwave” role, and there’s not really many other options for starting PGs unless you think Bruce Brown is good (hint: he’s not). Frazier, as the kids say these days, “showed out” in his new role, hitting 5 threes which has got to be a career high and scoring 17 points. I was hoping for more, something along the lines of a 30-point triple-double with 12 assists, but this is okay. Considering his season up to this point, definitely okay.