Sacramento Kings guard Jimmer Fredette, left, and Detroit Pistons forward Jason Maxiell scramble after the ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012. The Kings won 105-103. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Rich Pedroncelli, ASSOCIATED PRESS
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jimmer Fredette's NBA career has been a frustrating one for Cougar fans and undoubtedly for Jimmer himself so far. The former BYU great was relegated to scrub backup duty through most of last season and has scarcely left the bench through seven games this season, but his role may be increasing.
Fredette logged just 11 minutes in Sunday's 103-90 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, but provided 18 points on 7-9 shooting and 3-5 shooting from 3-point range. His performance warranted praise from his head coach Keith Smart.
“I have to make minutes for him on the floor right now,” Smart told the media following Sunday's loss. “He’s just too positive right now in what he’s doing. He’s kept a perfect attitude the whole time and I have to find ways to make sure he’s on the floor.”
Fredette has seen playing time in five of seven games and is averaging just 8.3 minutes. He's done the most with those minutes, however, and is averaging 9.3 points per game on .650 shooting from the field and .556 shooting from 3-point range.
“He’s not going into tight spots like he did last year,” said Smart before Sunday's game. “I just think he wasn’t aware of what to do in the NBA last year. Things went so fast last year from (preseason, which was) not even a week for the most part and then right into an NBA season — no training camp, no summer league.”
We'll be following Fredette's performance and provide weekly updates throughout the year.
Email: bgurney@desnews.com
Twitter: @BrandonCGurney
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Smart likes to use the excuse that Jimmer can't defend the elite guards of the NBA, so he has to keep him on the bench. There are far worse defenders playing a lot more minutes in this league. Jimmer's lack of defense is overstated, having More..
It looks wrong seeing Jimmer at the top of the PER stats, ahead of Kobe and LeBron, but he has done his job this season and hopefully he can keep producing as he gets more minutes and plays a bigger role on the team. This is, I believe, the More..
Smart is the worst coach in one of the worst franchises in pro sports! The Kings shouldn't even be called a team because it's every man for himself! Best move for Jimmer would be to get out ASAP.