From D-League to NBA: The Tim Frazier Tale

Tim Frazier‘s induction to the NBA couldn’t have come at a better time. When the Sixers called him up, it was on the heels (lol) of Michael Carter-Williams suffering a foot injury that would sideline him for a couple of games. So, Tim Frazier, just signed out of the D-League on Wednesday night, would appear in his first NBA game on Friday.

Frazier drove down I-95 from Portland, Maine to Boston to join the Sixers in their quest against the Celtics that Friday. Without Michael Carter-Williams or Tony Wroten, a lot of pressure was put on Frazier to succeed. Let’s not forget that this would be his first NBA game.

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While he didn’t contribute much in the scoring column, Frazier tallied 11 assists and only two turnovers. He did this in 35 minutes, which is astounding considering it was his first game in the NBA. A normal 10-day contract may not see 35 minutes during the entire length of the deal, but Frazier landed in a situation that called his number a lot.

The 11 assists in an NBA debut have only been done by a short list of players: Michael Carter-Williams, Damian Lillard, Jason Kidd, Isiah Thomas, Maurice Cheeks, Ernie DiGregorio and now, Tim Frazier.

The shooting (2-of-9 from the field) left something to be desired, but he showed some nice moves like the finish in transition above. Above all, Frazier showed the ability to run the Sixers offense and play some aggressive defense on the perimeter. Not much more could have been asked of him.

After the loss in Boston, the Sixers had a quick turnaround for a Saturday night tip in Philly against the Charlotte Hornets. Sixers coach Brett Brown decided that the one game sample he saw from Frazier was enough to put him in the starting lineup. Frazier was just starting games for the Maine Red Claws of the NBA D-League last week and now he’s starting games in the NBA. Life comes at you fast.

Once again, his offense was absent, going scoreless in seven attempts from the field. Though he showed his knack of finding the open man again, dropping eight assists (four turnovers) in 37 minutes. Derek Bodner of Liberty Ballers notes that Frazier’s 19 assists in his first two NBA games ranks as the third highest total.

Frazier was continually finding Robert Covington and Hollis Thompson on the perimeter and a lot of their success from Saturday night can be contributed to Frazier giving them the rock. Covington finished with a game-high 22 points and Hollis Thompson contributed 18 points. In his two games, Covington is shooting 37.5 percent from three on passes from Frazier and Thompson is shooting 50 percent from three on passes from Frazier, per NBA.com.

In his first two games, Frazier hasn’t done anything to blow people away, but he’s done an admirable job running the offense in his first two NBA games. Anyone criticizing him should take a step back. He’s played two NBA games so far and has been thrown into the fire, playing 35-plus minutes in each game. Compiling 19 assists to six turnovers is nothing to snark at. Also, the Sixers have a positive net rating of 2.2 with Frazier on the floor, compared to -12.5 with him off the court. A small sample size, but still something to take note of.

With no word on MCW yet, Frazier could find himself playing heavy minutes again on Monday when the Sixers take on the Warriors. The former Penn State guard is getting every opportunity possible to show that he can belong in this league and so far, he’s impressed.