The Sacramento Kings made noise early in the 2011 NBA Draft when they dealt away Beno Udrih and the seventh pick for John Salmons and the 10th pick. The deal made it clear they needed guard help to go along with Tyreke Evans and they appear to have found that help in the form of BYU guard Jimmer Fredette. The Milwaukee Bucks selected Fredette for the Kings in what had become a not so well-kept secret. The move leaves the Kings with a starting backcourt of Fredette and Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton coming off the bench. It's safe to say they might score some points.
Fredette was arguably the most dominant scoring guard in NCAA basketball this past season. He averaged 28.9 points per game and was held under 20 points in four games the entire season. More importantly, he raised his game when his team needed him most. After Brandon Davies was suspended, Fredette scored no fewer than 24 points in each of BYU's final eight games. His high water mark came when he single-handedly decimated the New Mexico Lobos in the Mountain West Conference tournament with 52 points on 22-of-37 shooting.
While the Evans-Fredette backcourt may have some defensive question marks, it will be fun to see how much they can score on a given night. Of course, this could also lead to tension when it comes time to split up shots. Fredette scores in bunches but he also takes a ton of shots, something which Tyreke Evans enjoys on occasion. It remains to be seen how Jimmer's game will translate at the next level but it will be interesting to see how it plays out.
To discuss more on the Kings and the selection of Jimmer Fredette, head over to Sactown Royalty.