Jimmer Fredette: Is NBA Rookie Finally Ready to Break out for Sacramento Kings?

It's been a rough go for Sacramento Kings rookie Jimmer Fredette to begin his NBA career.

He's seen his minutes drastically decreased and he's offered up little to no production. Fredette has the reputation of a scorer and if he's not scoring, he doesn't offer up much value.

That was until three games ago.

After scoring only 49 combined points in a 10-game stretch before Saturday's game against Memphis, Fredette has erupted and scored 52 points in his last three games; including a career high of 20 against the Grizzlies.

He followed that with a 13-point effort against Portland and a 19-point game against Denver.

That begs the question: Is Fredette ready to break out?

The answer could be yes.

As long as he's getting enough minutes, Fredette can get hot as a scorer and keep this roll going.

The main difference between early Fredette and what we've seen lately has been the confidence on his jump shot.

He's taking more and making them at a higher rate, especially from three-point range, where he's connected on 11-of-18 (.611) from behind the arc during the last three games.

In the 13 games prior to this recent stretch, Fredette had connected on only 13-of-49 (.265) from long range.

As long as Marcus Thornton remains banged up, Fredette will be given the opportunity to remain in the starting lineup. If he continues to play with confidence, Fredette will make it hard for coach Keith Smart not to give him major minutes.

Sometimes it takes a young player some time to find his way in the NBA. It takes a while to get enough confidence to play in this league.

That could be the case with Fredette. He could be ready to break out.