The Phoenix Suns have signed Jimmer Fredette for the remainder of the season; can he make it back in the league after a successful stint in China?
March Madness is here, so it’s fitting that Jimmer Fredette is back in the newswire. According to Shams Charania, Fredette has agreed to a two-year deal with the Phoenix Suns. While it’s good to hear that Jimmer has made his way back to the NBA, the big question that remains is whether he can make this return meaningful in any way.
The last time we saw Fredette in the NBA was during the 2015-16 season. Though,
it was very much an abbreviated stay, where he only appeared in six games for the New Orleans Pelicans and New York Knicks.
However, since his departure from the NBA, Fredette has enjoyed three sensational seasons in the Chinese Basketball Association. And Fredette is coming off a season in which he averaged 36 points, five assists and five rebounds on 48 percent shooting from the field and 42 percent from 3-point range.
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Can he translate some of that success during a second, and perhaps last chance, in the NBA? It’s difficult to tell for sure, but there’s no question that the NBA is more open to Fredette’s type of game than it’s ever been.
Fredette, if nothing else, was a sharpshooting scorer with most of his troubles coming on the defensive end. And if Fredette can’t make it in today’s NBA, I think it’s safe to say that he won’t ever be able to make that jump again.
And he might be landing in an ideal spot for him. There will be no pressure for him to produce, unlike when he broke into the league (after an impressive showing in the NCAA Tournament). And the Suns have a glaring hole at the point guard position.
While no one really expects Fredette to be the long-term answer for the Suns at the point guard position, he could be somewhat of a stopgap if he has really improved his all-around game.
Jimmer Fredette making a career in the NBA again would be a great story, no doubt about it. But, make no mistake, the odds are certainly stacked against him.