Pelica Debrief
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Jimmer Fredette was never a fit on the New Orleans Pelicans But Could be in San Antonio

By Rick Stone

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The Jimmer Fredette saga in New Orleans has come to a close. The young shooter out of Brigham Young University is headed to the San Antonio Spurs for the upcoming season to try and make the roster on a team that could be seen as one of the favorites to win the Western Conference and even the NBA Title. The Spurs were rumored to be looking for shooters to fill the back-end of the roster after losing marksman Marco Belinelli in the offseason. For many reasons, this move for Fredette is a new lease on his possible NBA career that could’ve hit a huge bump after his season as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Plain and simply, Jimmer Fredette never fit what the Pelicans were looking from him. When Dell Demps first decided to give Jimmer a shot, he was seen as a someone who could shoot from anywhere on the floor and put up points in bunches, on a bench that did not have major scoring capabilities. He was signed to score. However, the expectations changed throughout the season due to the issues with depth of the Pelicans bench.

He was paired at the beginning of his Pelicans tenure with Austin Rivers. One of the biggest issues between them was defensive assignments. Neither player is known for having much defensive prowess on the floor, and together the +/- numbers did not bode well. However, Jimmer put up his points and did what the team had originally planned for him. 

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    • After both Jrue Holiday‘s injury and Austin Rivers’ departure from the Pelicans, Jimmer saw a newer, more expanded role asked of him on the team. Jimmer became the backup point guard. He was asked to take command of a bench unit that did not have many players who could create their own shot and guard the opposing backup point, who on many occasions was quicker, stronger and many times much more battle-tested than Jimmer.

    While Fredette continued to put up points, he couldn’t fill what the Pelicans had asked. He struggled from behind the arc greatly and throughout the season, finishing the year shooting 18.8% from behind the arc. The Pelicans originally hoped he could have long-range numbers similar to Ryan Anderson, however it didn’t pan out. The defense was by far the biggest issue, with opposing guards slashing by him game after game and forcing him and the backup bigs like Alexis Ajinca into major foul trouble, something they didn’t need much help doing in the first place.

    This forced coach Monty Williams into a tough decision. Could the Pelicans find a way to give Jimmer a role he could realistically fill or send him to the end of the bench? They chose the second option, sifting through players such as Nate Wolters and Toney Douglas at the backup point guard spot. During the breaks between changes, however, Jimmer saw improvements.

    His passing game improved throughout the year. His defensive footwork improved. He found little streaks of good play. However, New Orleans management stuck to the “win now” model and went after players they knew could help them get to the playoffs this year. The addition of Norris Cole solidified Jimmer’s role for the rest of the year….”Garbage Time Player”. 

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    Jimmer now moves on to a new environment in San Antonio that will be a much better fit for what he can do.

    The Spurs are known for their plentiful depth. The one big thing he can expect if he makes the Spurs roster is that he’ll be playing the backup shooting guard role specifically. San Antonio already has Patty Mills and Ray McCallum to fill the backup point guard role and it won’t be necessary for Jimmer to play that position.

    He could be paired up with veteran Manu Ginobili, who could be a fantastic mentor to try and show Fredette the ropes on how to become an NBA role player. When Manu needs games off, Jimmer can come in and fill his role. He could also see time with Manu on the floor if the Spurs decide they can run Ginobili at small forward.

    San Antonio will also have similar expectations to what New Orleans originally had with Fredette. The Spurs will hope for Jimmer to provide a threat on the perimeter in the same way Marco Belinelli provided for them last year. He will be asked to space the floor for a bench unit that is filled with players much more capable of being consistent scoring threats than there were originally on the Pelicans bench.

    In many ways, the San Antonio Spurs is the type of team Jimmer needs to revive any chance he has of turning his career around and finding a definitive role as a reliable bench role-player for an NBA team. His expectations will not be high at all if he makes the Spurs roster. His job will be to space the floor and score the basketball.

    Fredette has the ability to go out and work with legendary coach Gregg Popovich to improve the defensive issues he had in his prior NBA stints. It’s a fresh look on life in the NBA that almost didn’t come.

    While his time in New Orleans didn’t pan out the way both sides probably had hoped when they signed a deal last year, both sides seemed to have panned out pretty well. The Pelicans found players who fit their roster for the long term over the year, even with the depth issues present all through last season. Jimmer Fredette had sparks of excitement and promise that got a storied franchise like the Spurs to take a flier on the youngster and give him another go at trying to find an NBA home, one that fits his game better than New Orleans did.

    Next: Jimmer May Get Better Next Season but Here are Four Reasons the Pelicans Will Be

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