Jimmer Fredette, at age 27, was out there on the court at Summer League in Las Vegas last month, sprinting up and down the court with the raw 19- and 20-year-olds, trying one last time to convince an NBA team he deserved another shot. He averaged 15.2 points and 3.2 assists a game, but an experienced NBA level player is expected to dominate a Summer League level game — Trey Lyles averaged 29 points a game, Devin Booker 26 — and Fredette did not. This after a season in New York where Jose Calderon and Sasha Vujacic were more trusted guard options than Fredette.
The message was clear, and now Fredette is heading overseas, according to a report from David Pick.
Source: Jimmer Fredette, former #10 overall NBA draftee, agreed to sign in China with Yao Ming owned Shanghai Sharks.
— David Pick (@IAmDPick) August 2, 2016
The deal is not finalized, but Fredette ending up overseas makes sense at this point.
He will make far more money than he would have in the D-League, he will put up numbers (defense is not the Chinese league’s strength), and when the Chinese season ends in March he can try to latch on with an NBA team down the stretch.
Fredette, for a variety of reasons, was never able to adapt his game to the NBA, where he was always going to be a role player and not the star he had been at BYU.
China is a good choice — he will have a green light on the court and put up numbers. There are great marketing opportunities (ask Stephon Marbury). He will get paid (Fredette has made $8.7 million in NBA salary over the years, but overseas he can pad that number quickly). It’s his next step, and a lot of very good players make a very comfortable living overseas. We wish Fredette nothing but the best.
