Walt Frazier was part of one of the most famous backcourts on
one of the most famous teams with a catchy nickname in a major media market.
“Clyde” was another I’d pegged would finish higher than
where he landed considering his bio. He was a seven-time all-star and two-time
NBA champion with the New York Knicks. He shot a high percentage and played
great defense. He was a winner. His teams won 58 percent of their regular
season games and 58 percent of the postseason games.
In the end, he just didn’t have enough great seasons to compete
with the people ahead of him. His effectiveness declined rapidly once he hit 30
and the team around him declined at the same rate, robbing him of crucial playoff
points in his later years.
Beginning in his second season (1968-1969), Frazier had seven
straight years with a PER of at least 18.7 and win shares of at least 10.0. He
was even tougher in the playoffs with his PER increasing four of his eight playoff
seasons with two others essentially even. Interestingly, his “worst” playoff
run came in his greatest year – 1969-1970 – when his PER fell from 21.1 in the
regular season to 16.5 in the playoffs. Of course, Frazier capped that year
with one of the greatest closing games ever. Willis Reed always gets a ton of
credit coming back on an injured knee to play Game 7 of the 1970 finals against
the Los Angeles Lakers and Wilt Chamberlain. Reed famously hit the first two
baskets of the game. Those actually were Reed’s only baskets of the game. It
was Frazier who powered the Knicks to the title, scoring 36 points, grabbing
seven rebounds and adding 19 assists as the Knicks won by 14.
The Knicks added a second title in 1972-1973 when Frazier
teamed with Earl “The Pearl” Monroe. New York thumped the Lakers in five games.
At that point, Walt was 27 and on top of the NBA. Frazier had two more all-star
seasons in him, but the Knicks got old quickly. After the 1976-1977 season, New
York traded Frazier to Cleveland where he spent three ineffective,
injury-filled seasons for bad teams. He played just 15 games total over his
final two seasons. His seven peak seasons were great and Frazier finished 42nd
in my 5-year rankings. The sudden, sharp turn in his career cost him
considerable points in my 10-year and career rankings.
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Walt Frazier
bio info
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Career
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1967-1980
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Games
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825
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Points
|
18.9
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Rebounds
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5.9
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Assists
|
6.1
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FG Pct.
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49.0%
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All-Star games
|
7
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NBA MVPs
|
0
|
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NBA Titles
|
2
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Playoff seasons
|
8
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Playoff games
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93
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Points
|
20.7
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Rebounds
|
7.2
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Assists
|
6.4
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FG Pct.
|
51.1%
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Hall of Fame
|
1987
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Top 100
rankings
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||
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Points
|
Top 100 ranking
|
|
1-year
|
302.43
|
85th
|
|
5-year
|
1,477.71
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42nd
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10-year
|
2,414.36
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60th
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Career
|
2,632.06
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75th
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Walt Frazier
at his peak
|
|||
|
1969-1970
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Frazier
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Top 5
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Points
|
|
PER
|
21.1
|
24.55
|
|
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Win Shares
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15.0
|
15.13
|
|
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Box +/-
|
NA
|
NA
|
|
|
VORP
|
NA
|
NA
|
|
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Total Advanced Stats
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36.1
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39.68
|
90.98
|
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Playoff PER
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16.5
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26.03
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|
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Win Shares
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2.8
|
2.85
|
|
|
Box +/-
|
NA
|
NA
|
|
|
VORP
|
NA
|
NA
|
|
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Total Advanced Stats
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19.3
|
28.88
|
66.82
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Reg. Season Win %
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76.62
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|
76.62
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Playoff Win %
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63.16
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63.16
|
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MVP Voting (75 points)
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50/775
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|
4.84
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Playoff MVP (25 points)
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0
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0
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Total Score
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|
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302.43
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Frazier’s 10 greatest seasons
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|
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1969-1970
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302.43
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1972-1973
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302.40
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1968-1969
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294.31
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1971-1972
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290.82
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1970-1971
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287.75
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1974-1975
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268.46
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1973-1974
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260.14
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1967-1968
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199.82
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1977-1978
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104.67
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1976-1977
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103.55
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Career
winning percentage
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|||
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W
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L
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Pct.
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Regular Season
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485
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340
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58.79%
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Playoffs
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54
|
39
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58.06%
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