Sacramento Kings 2012-13 Season Player Previews – Jimmer Fredette

It wasn’t  long ago that Jimmer Fredette had the world in his hands. Now, a year plus later, his world is filled with trade rumors and the label of being an NBA “bust”. There is no in-between with Fredette. You have your hardcore supporters and you have the opposition who wants to see him fail, similar to that of New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow. It’s hard to recall such a polarizing player who’s so neutral, but Fredette is a unique object in the world of sports.

March 31, 2012; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Jimmer Fredette (7) catches a pass against the New Jersey Nets in the fourth quarter at the Power Balance Pavilion. The Nets defeated the Kings 111-99. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-US PRESSWIRE

Hoping to hit gold, both on court and off, the Kings took a chance on Jimmer last year and while merchandise sales were at all-time record highs, the same success didn’t make its way to the court as Fredette struggled – heavily at times. A condensed schedule combined with the rigors of NBA life and being one of the most popular athletes in the country filled the plate of the 23 year old and it was clear it became overwhelming for the former Cougar. Now with an offseason under his belt, a true training camp and a more typical NBA year to come – Fredette is confident his second NBA season will be far more successful than his first. What does the crew think!?

Scott – Fredette’s rookie season was a disappointment, and judging by the Kings using him as a point guard in summer league, the team is still trying to figure out the best way to utilize the sophomore. First off, Fredette has to find the shooting stroke that earned him collegiate accolades. Kings fans would settle for Jimmer being an offensive spark off the bench while he works on the other facets of his game (defense, ball-handling, etc.). Aaron Brooks will serve as the backup point guard, meaning Jimmer will have to scramble for minutes and yet again could be pinched out of the rotation on many nights.

Marilyn – Jimmer Fredette must be wondering what happened to the Mojo of his college career, as his game did not translate to the NBA level in his rookie year as everyone had hoped it would. Perhaps the expectations were too high and a bit overwhelming for him in his first season. After Aaron Brooks was signed, it was assumed Fredette’s minutes would evaporate, but word coming out of the 2012 Training Camp, in Colorado, this week, reported by Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee, appears to suggest Coach Smart has some plans for the young man. Smart is asking Jimmer to be more vocal and comfortable with the guys around him, which sure sounds like the coach is planning to carve more minutes for him, than many anticipated. Smart had the summer to come up with some ideas to try with Fredette. If Fredette could shoot lights out in college, it might just be a matter of time, with good management by Kings’ coaching staff, when he will do so again.

Bryan – So many are down on Jimmer and I can’t really grasp why. Maybe it’s the fact that he didn’t come out, gun’s blazing like some expected? Whatever the case, I think Jimmer’s sophomore campaign will be much better than his rookie where Fredette looked overwhelmed, not so much at the game but the NBA lifestyle. Forced into a losing situation with sporadic playing time and clearly some parts of his game than weren’t NBA ready, not to mention in a lockout shortened season – it’s not exactly the best recipe to breed success. That all said, I expect an improved year from Jimmer – not perfect by any stretch, but it’s a growing process. He’ll never be the Jimmer of BYU days but he certainly has a skill set to be a serviceable rotational NBA player in due time. He’ll maintain progress to becoming that this season.