The NBA is on a bit of a 3-point tear lately. As a league, the 30 NBA teams have set a record for 3-pointers made for the sixth year in a row as the 2017-18 season came to a close. Teams are taking big risks, making their offenses center around the 3-point shot as they value shooting more and more come draft time.
Some have lamented the Steph Currification of the NBA in recent years, but the fact is the league has more viewers than ever and is growing in popularity both home and abroad. The product has never been better, and the high-scoring and efficient, stats-based strategy has worked out for the Association.
Jimmer Fredette, the 10th overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, has not seen an NBA floor since the 2015-16 season. Fredetteis now playing in TBT, a winner-take-all basketball tournament that has aired on ESPN over the summer.
Fredette has always been a bit of a media hound, and during a recent interview he said that he felt as though his skills would fit better if he were playing in today’s NBA.
Via Sports Illustrated:MS: With nearly the entire NBA embracing pace-and-space approach and the three-point shot in 2018, how do you think you’d fit into today’s league?
JF: Things have changed a lot from when I entered the league with three-point shooting now at a real premium as well as guys who can really hit the deep threes and give their superstars space to operate. There’s a lot of transition, a lot of moving the ball, things I excel in, so I think the league has really changed to my favor since I got into the NBA.
The only problem with that thinking?
Curry was drafted in 2009, and set the league pace for 3-pointers attempted and made in 2012-13, during Fredette’s sophomore season. Fredette actually played during many of the seasons in which the Warriors helped form the new offensive strategy in the NBA. In short, there were plenty of opportunities for The Jimmer to become a weapon from range. He certainly was a decent 3-point shooter during his time in the league, attaining a 38% mark from beyond the arc. The reality is that Fredette could not cut it for several other reasons.
Could this be the start of another NBA comeback for the 29 year-old Fredette? Don’t hold your breath.
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