Sacramento Kings: Jimmer Fredette's Role Still Seems Undefined

Mark D. Smith – USA Today Sports Images

One of the biggest issues that the Sacramento Kings have faced, other than having a disheveled front office and ownership group, over the past few NBA seasons is the fact that their roster was poorly constructed. Players were simply drafted and signed based on the fact that they were talented and not based on the idea of players filling certain roles within a team philosophy.

Jimmer Fredette is one of the players brought to the team with that kind of thinking. The former BYU star was selected with the 10^th pick of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, but his rights were then immediately acquired by the Kings. In his two years in the league, though, the Kings haven’t really found a way to let Jimmer succeed.

In 130 career games in Sacramento, Fredette has averaged 7.4 points, 1.5 assists and 1.1 rebounds per game while shooting 40.2 percent from the floor and 38.4 percent from long-distance. Because of the plethora of guards with the Kings, he’s been stuck somewhere in between being a point guard and shooting guard, which has put him in an odd role where he it’s been hard for him to know his job

Though the ownership group and front office in Sacramento have a new look heading into this season, their backcourt is still loaded with guards. The Kings have said they plan to work on defining Jimmer’s role in his third season, but it’s hard to imagine that happening as they also try to get rookies Ben McLemore and Ray McCallum into their rotation.

I may be in the minority, but I still believe that Jimmer can have a productive career in the league. He obviously has issues with his ball-handling and isn’t a great athlete, but shooting ability like what Fredette has is hard to come by. If he’s ever put in a role where he can just come off screens on the wing and chuck, I believe he will succeed. However, I don’t think that time is going to come this year or ever in Sacramento.

Cody Williams is a Senior Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20, add him on Google and like his Facebook page.