Orlando Magic: 5 takeaways from 2018 NBA Summer League
By Chris Murch
4. Melvin Frazier’s offense will need to develop over time
The Magic made it clear what their intentions were with the 2018 NBA Draft: length, length and more length. In picking Melvin Frazier out of Tulane with the 35th overall pick, that’s exactly what they accomplished.
In my draft grade article a few weeks back, I mentioned that I had some worries about Frazier’s offensive abilities and shot. He is super long (7’0″ wingspan) and scary athletic, but his shot was inconsistent in college, and his ball-handling needed some fine tuning. In Vegas, some of those worries came to life.
Frazier finished his time in the Summer League averaging 5.5 points per game on only 29 percent shooting. This came in 24.8 minutes per game as well, which is a pretty high number given that in Summer League, they only play 40 minutes.
Frazier can expect to get around 15-20 minutes a game when the season actually begins and while his defense will be the reason he is on the floor, his offense really needs to come around for him to have some staying power in Orlando.
In college, Frazier shot 38.5 percent from 3 and flashed a better all-around game than he did in Vegas. It’s hard to judge only four games of play and given Frazier’s athleticism and defense, (averaged 1.5 steals a game during SL) his potential is through the roof.
However, if he doesn’t shore up that shot of his and continue to develop his offensive game, it’s going to be difficult for Magic coach Steve Clifford to justify any reason for him being on the court for extended time.