Free at last! Free at last! Jimmer Fredette is free at last!
After spending his first three seasons in the vortex of suck that is the Sacramento Kings, Jimmer Fredette will reportedly sign with the Chicago Bulls.
Going from the Kings to the Bulls is like breaking up with Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes (hope you have fire insurance) to dating a stable, attractive, confident woman with an advanced degree.
Jimmer will be perfect for the Bulls, and the Bulls will be ideal for Jimmer.
Why the Bulls Need Jimmer
After hours of detailed statistical analysis and breaking down SportVU data, I have come to the following conclusion about the Chicago Bulls: They suck at shooting 3-pointers and scoring in general.
The Bulls are currently tied for 26th in the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage at 34.4%, placing them above only Boston, Detroit, and Philly.
Chicago’s 93.1 points per game are dead last in the NBA. No team struggles to score more than the Bulls.
But despite the Chicago’s terrible shooting, the Bulls are still a respectable fourth in Eastern Conference standings. Barring any other unforseen setbacks like losing Derrick Rose (again) and trading Luol Deng (for nothing), the Bulls will be in the playoffs and likely favored to win in the first round.
They need perimeter scoring.
Enter the Jimmer.
Jimmer Fredette Can Flat Out Shoot and Score
Despite playing for the dysfunctional Sacramento Kings, Fredette has somehow managed to showcase himself as one of the NBA’s premiere 3-point shooters.
Over the past two seasons, Jimmer is third in the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage.
NBA’s Leading 3-Point Shooters 2012-13 through 2013-14 (Min. 200 3PT Attempts)
1. Kyle Korver – 46.4%
2. Jose Calderon – 45.5%
3. Jimmer Fredette – 44.1%
4. Stephen Curry – 43.8%
5. Mike Miller – 42.5%
Not only can Fredette stretch opposing defenses with his ability to hit the three, he is also an elite scorer when he has the ball in his hands.
Over the past two seasons Jimmer has averaged 18.6 points per-36 minutes. Here are some of the other guards who score in Jimmer’s neighborhood on a per-36 minute basis:
Selected Points Per-36 Minutes 2012-13 through 2013-14, NBA Guards
Damian Lillard – 19.2 PTS/36
Chris Paul – 18.8 PTS/36
Monta Ellis – 18.6 PTS/36
Jimmer Fredette – 18.6 PTS/36
Kemba Walker – 18.3 PTS/36
On a per-minute basis, Jimmer has scored on par with some of the league’s most dynamic guards.
And that’s the rub with Jimmer – he never got the minutes in Sacramento. His defensive liabilities are a big reason for this, but Chicago coach and defensive mastermind Tom Thiboeau can only help Jimmer improve in this area.
But the Bulls aren’t interested in Jimmer for his defense. This is all about offense.
Playing for the Bulls will hopefully give Jimmer some stability, strong coaching, professional teammates, and the ability to use his deadly shooting to benefit a playoff team in a big market.
Hopefully Jimmer will settle into a 15-20 minute reserve role as the designated gunner on the second unit, and occasionally playing with the starters when the Bulls need to stretch the defense. This could be exactly what Jimmer needs right now in his career.
The Bulls need Jimmer, and Jimmer needs the Bulls. This could be a marriage made in basketball heaven.
Oh, to be free!
