Jimmer Fredette Would Be Successful with New Team and New Environment
Don't write off Jimmer Fredette just because the Sacramento Kings have.
Sam Amick of USA Today reported the team isn't going to pick up the third-year guard's option for 2014-15.
It's a sign the team doesn't look at Fredette as a viable option in the long term and could very well offload him during the season in order to get something back before watching him leave for nothing as a free agent.
Amick also reported a couple of teams have "substantive interest."
To his credit, the former BYU Cougar is taking the news in stride, per Yahoo! Sports' Marc Spears.
Since being drafted with the 10th overall pick in the 2011 draft, Fredette has been a disappointment. In his first two seasons, he's played an average of 16.2 minutes a night, scoring 7.4 points on 40.2 percent shooting, according to Basketball-Reference.
Some might look at those numbers and come to the conclusion that Fredette has no NBA career and is better off playing in Europe or moving down to the NBDL.
However, perhaps what the player needs the most is a move away from the toxic Kings atmosphere. With the hiring of Mike Malone, Sacramento is on its third head coach in as many seasons. Between the ownership situation, head coaching carousel and DeMarcus Cousins' constant antics, you can see where a player might not be in the best situation to succeed.
In addition, he's had to live up to whatever sky-high expectations the team's fans and management had for him.
Joining a new team, those expectations will be a little more grounded. Nobody will look to Fredette as a regular starter who averages 15-20 points a night.
In the right role, Fredette can be a productive player. He'll probably never live up to being the 10th pick in the draft, but that doesn't have to be the only barometer for whether he'll be a success.
Whatever team acquires him via trade or free agency should look to Fredette to come off the bench and space the floor.
For his career, the Kings shooting guard is a 38.4 percent shooter from three-point range, and that number was 41.6 percent last season. That would be big for Fredette if he can settle in around 40 percent from behind the arc.
As the Miami Heat demonstrated last season, three-point shooters can be an invaluable asset. All they have to do is sit outside and wait for the defenders to follow. That opens up the paint for other players to drive into the paint.
The Los Angeles Clippers are paying J.J. Redick $6.5 million this season to essentially be a three-point specialist. Kyle Korver is also making $6.76 million.
Those two illustrate that offensively minded long-range shooters can be successful in the league and make a handsome salary as a result.
Why can't Fredette?
