In the season opener Anthony Davis recorded a historic 50pts 16rebs 5asts 7stls and 4blks in a losing effort to the Denver Nuggets. This loss, despite the unbelievable stat line, left Stephen A. Smith stunned. So in his trademarked, "I'm trying to make a point while also appearing super angry......is it working. IS IT!?!?," kind of way, he asked Max Kellerman a question. "Tim Frazier? Who the hell is that? Who?". I'm not sure what Max did after that, but my guess is he probably smiled and started talking even louder for no apparent reason. Nonetheless, the question was asked in order to make fun of the roster that surrounded Anthony Davis.

Lol so true @stephenasmith pic.twitter.com/IDTOoupjY9

He later apologized to Tim Frazier on twitter saying he would now be keeping an eye out for him and to keep working. Well, if Stephen A. did like he promised, he should be just as perplexed as I that Tim Frazier has dropped out of the Pelicans rotation. Before Tim pulled the short stick, he was averaging 10.8pts 7.3asts and shooting 39% from 3! He went from averaging 30mpg to now consistently getting coaches decision DNP's. So, what gives?

Tyreke Evans returned and they signed Domantas Motiejunas, but these additions should not have led to a loss in minutes that steep. He had a slight injury, but there was no evident drop off in play. Did the Pelicans staff also completely forget who Tim Frazier is? Are the coaches looking at each other right now with that ever so slight annoyance, asking each other, "WHO THE HELL IS TIM FRAZIER??" while secretly waiting to cut to commercial?

To explain simply for those possibly First Takeified coaches, Tim Frazier is the best basketball player that no one knows about. He currently has the Pelicans 2nd best steal%, 3rd best assist%, is 2nd best in offensive win shares, 2nd best in total win shares, 4th in points per game and 2nd in assists per game despite getting 6mpg over his last 3 games. All of these numbers point to a starting caliber player if not a very solid 6th man.

Frazier does all the things NBA coaches want from their point guards. First and foremost he is a reliable player with the basketball in his hands. He has a slinky, herky jerky style to penetrate the paint and can either go to his floater or his preferred pass to the open man. Both of which he can go to with relative accuracy, especially coming off a pick and roll.

In the PNR, he is averaging .85 points per possession, same as Russell Westbrook and more than Victor Oladipo, Courtney Lee, Andrew Wiggins, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. He is only 6'1 but his lengthy arms make up for his lack of height when he needs to whip a ball around a defender.

He also was developing quite a rapport with the Pelicans only chance at the playoffs, Anthony Davis. Frazier and AD have played 720 minutes together and are a +17. The only player Davis has a higher +/- with on the entire team is Terrence Jones. Pick and rolls were becoming more and more consistent and they were starting to pick up on the nuances of each others games. He was beginning to understand the spots Anthony Davis and the rest of his teammates liked the ball and really run the offense.

Frazier's knack to make the correct pass remains the best part about his game, after all. Constantly he would find the open man, not always with the flashiest pass but the one that most likely ended in a bucket. Off of those passes, he creates 15.1 points per game, which is more than Isaiah Thomas, Kemba Walker, Damian Lillard, Mike Conley, Kyrie Irving, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. That is a murderers row of All star caliber players.

That 15.1 points created off assists is also more than Zach Lavine and Andrew Wiggins create, COMBINED. He doesn't just pass to pass, he passes to the correct man. Because of this, he has 2 times more 10+ assist games than Isaiah Thomas. Isaiah Thomas. Quick reminder: Tim Frazier actually got benched. Yeah, what the hell?

It is plays like the one above that make his game so enticing to me. Check out the slight screen on Draymond after the pass off to AD, those are the plays that make Tim Frazier who he is. It is so quick that many would not even be able to notice it during the course of a game, but it is why Frazier ends up with so many assists. Being able to give the ball to the Brow doesn't hurt either.

Now, maybe the Pelicans benched him because he needs the ball in his hands a lot and the return of Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans made it an awkward fit. That may make some sense if not for the fact that Frazier averages .98 points per possesion in spot up shooting with an effective field goal percentage of 51.1%. Both of those being better than human blow torch, Klay Thompson. This mystery may stay unsolved, but, the Pelicans have a very real chance to make the playoffs and they need Frazier to do that. Despite their current winning ways without him, he is the third best player on the entire roster and is getting zero run. This can not possibly last.

I have openly shown my belief in the roster and the team since mid-November. The additions of Jrue, Tyreke, and D-Mo only make their chances that much better, but Frazier is better than most of the players they are trotting out there. I hope the Pelicans heed my message soon, because  the King is searching the kingdom for a point guard. Tim Frazier is a good player, he isn't getting any PT right now, and is on a possible lottery team. The Cavaliers GM should be blasting the Pellies phone because Tim Frazier would fit in perfectly coming off the bench for them. If this does end up happening, New Orleans may miss out on the playoffs yet again. 

So, when Stephen A. Smith saddles up to give his 1st through 27th Take, he should no longer be asking, "Who is Tim Frazier?", but, "Where is Tim Frazier?".