Thunder End of the Year Report Card: Melvin Frazier Jr.

After four seasons primarily playing in the G League, Melvin Frazier Jr. returned to the NBA stage in Oklahoma City.

Thunder GM Sam Presti was poignant in rewarding Oklahoma City Blue standouts this season. With his developmental interest, Melvin Frazier Jr. garnered an opportunity he’s been long in the works for – an NBA opportunity.

After two seasons with the Orlando Magic, Frazier Jr. joined the Oklahoma City Blue in the 2020-21 season as a backup, but limited minutes made his departure almost a sure thing. Instead, he rejoined the Blue this season, emerging as a two-way standout.

The 6-foot-6 wing had been dealt to the Iowa Wolves at the G League Trade Deadline, but ongoing interest between the two parties kept him on NBA radars, signing with the Thunder for the team’s final three games.

Across a trio of NBA games, Frazier Jr. averaged 10.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 0.3 assists.

Overall Grade: C-

Kirby Lee / USA Today

There were two sides to Melvin Frazier Jr.’s season. They were virtually polar opposites.

Frazier Jr. made his impact with the Blue early and often this season shooting 39.2% from distance in Winter Showcase play to average 11.2 points in 22.3 minutes. Due to his valiant efforts, he emerged as a key call-up candidate when the Thunder faced roster issues in December. He actually received a call-up in December, but his positive read for COVID axed the deal.

Following a flurry of solid efforts in regular-season play, Frazier Jr. capped the season with the Iowa Wolves averaging 13.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals across 48 games.

Although on paper Frazier Jr. posted hardy numbers with the Thunder, he never looked clued in on either side of the ball. Though, his intensive 40-minute average coupled with a new environment is an understandable road bump.

Offensively

Kirby Lee / USA Today

Frazier Jr.’s offensive ability took strides in the G League, becoming one of the Blue’s top catch-and-shoot targets in the infancy stages of the season. To tag along with his shot, he made strides in downhill settings utilizing his lengthy frame to convert off of hopsteps and gathers.

The former Green Wave splashed the stat sheet with a bevy of solid scoring outputs, finding his sweet spot as a consistent double-digit scorer with the Blue.

Frazier Jr. had one of the roughest call-up stints of the season, shooting a murky 13-of-48 (27.1%) while canning just one of 21 threes (4.8%.) His shot selection on threes were no issue, as virtually all of them came uncontested, but his funk never faltered. As a slasher, his routine blow-bys were no more against NBA centers, resulting in him running baseline with little results.

Defensively

Chris Nicoll / USA Today

Frazier Jr. was a defensive darling for the Blue and Wolves averaging 1.5 steals with both organizations. His 7-foot-2 wingspan makes him an intriguing defensive piece in the future as he defended from the 2-to-4 this year.

Frazier Jr. had some defensive lapses with the Thunder, sometimes showing signs of ball watching or miscues on assignments that yielded wide open shots.

He could make some improvements defensively, notably in lateral quickness, but he does have a solid blueprint to build off of.

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