Pelicans Rank Roundtable: Jimmer Fredette

With Pelican Rank in full swing it felt proper to go behind the scenes and get a bit more reasoning behind why each player was ranked where they were by our staff. Because of that it felt proper to get a few roundtables going as the rankings progress. Today we have some questions about one of the players who tied for 11 on the list, Jimmer Fredette.

1. Is Jimmer a point guard or shooting guard in your mind?

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Andrew: I believe he is a point guard, all though a scoring point guard. I think Jimmer fits best in a lineup where Tyreke Evans is also involved, giving the Pelicans another ball handler to come up the court with.

Chris: Shooting guard. He doesn’t do enough to help others to consider him a point.

Rick: Shooting Guard. Jimmer fits much better as a spread shooter than someone who is asked to handle the ball on a regular basis.

Matt: I think he is a point guard in the Nate Robinson mold. To me Jimmer seems to be the guy that is best coming off the bench looking for his own points and on nights he doesn’t have things working to get others involved.

2. Was the Jimmer lottery ticket worth it for New Orleans or was there better ways to spend the money?

Andrew: I’m thinking. (20 minutes later) Not that I can think of and like. There’s always more way’s to spend the money. There’s also the not given option here of saving it, but who wants to do that anymore.

Chris: I’m not sure if Jimmer was worth it, but on the other hand, who were the Pelicans going to spend their money on otherwise? They don’t have too much to spend on big time guards, gotta take what you can get.

Rick:I wouldn’t call it a lottery ticket as much a calculated gamble. Jimmer should be worth the minimal investment with the lack of help in free agency to fill New Orleans’ loss of Anthony Morrow.

Matt: I think he is worth the chance especially with the slim pickings on the free agency market. I would have rather seen a small forward lottery ticket guy but there wasn’t one of those out there so you can never go wrong with elite shooting.

3. Can Jimmer defend at the NBA level?

Andrew: It’s possible, but it’s going to require a lot of work from him in the gym, and in his head. If Jimmer is ever going to guard the modern day NBA point guard who is lightning fast and more than capable of making split second decisions, he needs to improve in multiple facets of his game.

Chris: Probably not, I mean if you put him in a defensive system he should be passable and I’m a firm believer that anybody can play defense if taught correctly and put in the right system. But Jimmer’s small, it’s unlikely he can ever be better than passable on the defensive end.

Rick: Probably not. He’s too small to guard the shooting guard effectively but not fast and agile enough to guard the point guard. Maybe in a zone things could work out, but in man-to-man, he’s probably not going to be able to handle NBA caliber players.

Matt: Possibly but it will all come down to a system as Chris said. Jimmer won’t ever be an elite defender but he should be able to eventually become at least passable, especially after some time under Tom Thibodeau in Chicago. Playing hard and being in the right spot are helpful on defense and Jimmer should have both of those covered, now he just needs a system to hide his weaknesses.

4. Will Jimmer get any run this year? Who will it come at the expense of?

Andrew:  I think Jimmer will get better this year, but at the unfortunate expense of Austin Rivers. If the Pelicans are going to have a serious shot at making the playoffs, they need to have more three point shooting, and that is something that Jimmer most definitely can provide. Austin Rivers, who sits just about the league average, can’t do that as well as Jimmer can.

Chris: Yes, and most likely it will be Austin Rivers. Rivers is at a point in his career where he has to prove he’s worth minutes, if not, the Pelicans patience is likely to run out.

Rick: He should get some time, but they won’t be substantial (+8 minutes) unless either an injury occurs or one of New Orleans’ core bench guards struggles out of the gate, such as Austin Rivers or Russ Smith. I would say it’ll be around January/February until Jimmer gets some lengthy time on the court.

Matt: I don’t see it if the team is contending for a playoff spot. I would assume that Rivers is the backup point guard to start the season and almost all of the minutes available at shooting guard are filled by some combination of Eric Gordon, Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday (when he plays with Rivers). That means for Jimmer to play he has to beat out Rivers and probably Russ Smith both of whom are players the Pelicans have a bit more investment in. I just don’t see it happening despite the elite shooting.