Michael Frazier II to leave Florida, declare for 2015 NBA Draft

Florida junior Michael Frazier II is expected to declare for the 2015 NBA Draft, as reported by agent Darren Heitner, Adam Silverstein of Only Gators, Jeff Borzello of ESPN, Kevin Brockway of The Gainesville Sun, and, finally, Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel, who has quotes from Frazier's father.

Alligator Army was able to confirm the reports late Wednesday afternoon, though an official announcement from Frazier and his family is expect to precede any announcement from Florida.

Frazier, the only recruited true junior on Florida's 2014-15 roster, averaged 12.1 points and 4.1 rebounds last season, but saw his efficiency from behind the arc dip as a result of being keyed on by opposing defenders.

Frazier made almost 47 percent of his threes in 2012-13 as a freshman, then made nearly 45 percent of his threes as a sophomore while setting the school record for threes made in a season (118). He entered the 2014-15 season second all-time in three-point accuracy in school history, but made just 38 percent from behind the arc, and had the last month of his junior year marred by a high ankle sprain that kept him out for weeks and limited him dramatically upon his return to the court.

His decision to leave Florida comes as a bit of a surprise, given his draft stock. Frazier ranks just 84th in Chad Ford's ESPN top 100, and 79th in DraftExpress's similar list; the latter site does project Frazier as the No. 42 pick, but in the 2016 NBA Draft.

And yet, Frazier's stock wouldn't seem all that likely to rise in Gainesville. He could rebound and prove his junior season of shooting was a fluke, but his sophomore season is in the conversation for best seasons of shooting by a Florida player ever — only Lee Humphrey has made more than 100 threes and connected at a better clip than Frazier did in 2013-14, and he played a significantly smaller role for the Gators in the two seasons he accomplished that feat.

Frazier wasn't expected to leave the Florida program after this season, not after the way his (or the Gators') season ended in disappointing fashion. But I'm not going to fault a college athlete for trying to make a go of it as a professional, unless the decision is so puzzling as to be ridiculous, and Frazier's is most certainly not such a decision.

Best of luck, Mike. Thanks for everything — Hot Pockets included.