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| Jimmer just hasn't lived up to hype surrounding him out of college, when he was a lights-out sharpshooter at BYU that was making SportsCenter's Top Ten routinely |
In a relatively predictable move, the Sacramento Kings have declined the option on swingman Jimmer Fredette's current contract, making him an unrestricted free agent at season's end.
Fredette, drafted 10th overall in the 2011 Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks and promptly traded to the Kings in a massive three-team deal, has been pretty disappointing for Sacramento in his two years with the team.
Coming out of college, Jimmer was a nationwide sensation known for his incredible three-point shooting prowess. However, college success does not always translate to NBA success, and that is a fact Jimmer has had to experience first-hand.
Over the 130 games he has played so far in his career, Fredette has only hit 40 percent of his field goals attempted and 38 percent of his three-pointers.
Sure, he was still a volume shooter during his college days, but at least he drained enough long-range jumpers to warrant the relatively low percentage made. In the pros, the 6-foot-2 Upstate New York-native has only averaged 7.4 points per contest while not contributing significantly in any other category.
Simply put, Jimmer is a one-trick pony with the trick being three-point shooting, and even he is not incredibly accurate from behind the arc.
He does not rebound much (1.1 per game over his career) or assist much (1.5 per) and is not a defensive stopper by any means (-0.3 defensive win shares per 48 minutes). So it makes a lot of sense as to why the rebuilding Kings would pass on the opportunity to prevent him from becoming a free agent when he is likely not to generate a ton of interest from other teams — or bolt themselves down to his rookie contract at the spot he is slotted for.
There is no reason why Jimmer should play minutes that could be overtaken by Isaiah Thomas, Ben McLemore, or even Ray McCallum when he returns from injury. That is why it makes a whole lot of sense for the Kings to not pick up his option and see how he plays out the season.
