Blake’s job is to give Damian Lillard a breather, get the bench unit into their offense, pester the opposing point guard on defense and play with the steady hand that you would expect from a seasons veteran. Durability was also somewhat of a question mark when he signed as a free agent, though he also played in 81 games this year, more than he’s played in the last two seasons combined.
Next season will probably be Blake’s last, closing the career of one of Portland’s all-time great role players while potentially opening the door for another.
By Casey Holdahl - Enter Tim Frazier, a 6-1 point guard out of Penn State who the Trail Blazes signed from the Maine Red Claws of the D-League late in the season. Though he’s unproven at the NBA level, he’s shown that he’s probably the fastest player on the team with the ball in his hands and looks almost exclusively to set up his teammates. He’s gotten it done in the D-League, winning Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player honors after averaging 16.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 9.5 assists in 41 games with the Red Claws, so it makes sense for the Blazers to keep Frazier under their wing as a potential cost-effective guard option off the bench.
Frazier will probably have to improve his outside shooting if he’s to stick with the Trail Blazers. Being a past-first point guard is fine, but you’ve got to be able to knock down the three if you’re going to play for Terry Stotts. He shot 36 percent from three for the Red Claws, but took fewer than three triples a night despite averaging 35.6 minutes per game. He shot just 29 percent from three in the 11 combined games he played between the Trail Blazers and Sixers, and while that’s a rather small sample size, guys trying to make the NBA from the D-League don’t often get the benefit of extended time.
But he’ll get a chance to show what he can do with more minutes at Summer League, as one assumes he’ll be starting at point guard for the Blazers in Las Vegas. He’s also likely to be invited to Portland’s 2015 training camp. If he comports himself well at both events, it’s very possible you’ll be seeming more of Tim Frazier in the not-to-distant future.