My thoughts on Jimmer Fredette

Over the weekend, Knick officials reported that the team plans on signing guard Jimmer Fredette to a 10 day contract. Fredette, the 10th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, has had trouble finding a stable home in his 6 years in the league. Most recently, he played for the New Orleans Pelicans, where he averaged 4.4 minutes per game. 

The Knicks are finally giving Fredette a chance

In the 2015-2016 season, Fredette has played with the Knicks D-League squad, the Westchester Knicks, averaging 22.3 PPG and 4.8 assists in 28 games. His name was in the headlines last Saturday after scoring 35 points in the D-League All-Star game, while being named the MVP in the process. 

Coach Kurt Rambis said that the organization has kept it's eye on Fredette for some time now. 

"He obviously can shoot the basketball; that's what he's known for," said the interim coach. "We've got to see if he can actually handle the basketball and be able to create shots for himself and create shots for others within the team concept, so it will be an adjustment for him."

The team, which currently sits at 24-33, does not need to make a corresponding move as they had an open roster spot. 

Fredette was extremely popular a few years back for his lights-out shooting for BYU. In 2011, he won the National Player of the Year for collegiate basketball, but as said before, his numbers have not translated well to the NBA. When the Kings acquired him on draft night in 2011, "Jimmermania" in Sacramento was in full-effect. His jersey was quickly sold out at all the local stores and online stores, but after two mediocre seasons off the bench, the Kings bought out his contract in 2014. 

Jimmer would like to forget his days with Sacramento 

When asked about Fredette's lack of stability in the league, Rambis said "Sometimes it takes players a few years to figure out how to adjust to the game and the NBA level, so we'll see if he made those adjustments."

Personally, I have always liked what Jimmer brought to the table, and was surprised when Sacramento cut ties with him a few years back. He has the ability to light up the score-board, but some say that his size (6-2) has held him back tremendously in the NBA. Other's add to that by saying that he is not athletic enough (a la Isaiah Thomas, who is 5-9) to resist opponent defenders. 

As for his role on the team, I honestly couldn't tell you what to expect. While it won't happen, I believe that the organization should sent Jerian Grant down to the D-League to properly develop, and have Jimmer take his minutes in the short-term. Realistically, however, we're probably looking at a few minutes every now and then, and if he seizes the opportunity we could see him earning spot in the rotation. 

Hey, he can't be any worse than Sasha Vujacic, right?