Jimmer Fredette makes Bulls debut after signing for rest of season
Jimmer Fredette made his Bulls debut on Sunday. (Gary Dineen/Getty Images)
Jimmer Fredette made his debut for the Bulls on Sunday shortly after signing with Chicago for the rest of the season.
The third-year guard played three minutes of garbage time to help close out Chicago's 109-90 home victory over New York. Fredette, wearing jersey No. 32, knocked down his first shot, finishing with two points (on 1-for-2 shooting) and two rebounds.
Earlier Sunday, the Bulls announced the signing of Fredette, who was recently bought out by the Kings, for the rest of the 2013-14 season. Fredette is eligible for the playoffs.
“We are very excited to add a player like Jimmer to our roster,” Bulls GM Gary Forman said in a statement. “We’ve followed him closely throughout his collegiate and professional career, and believe he’ll be the type of player that will fit in with our group and be an asset to the team.”
Fredette, 25, spent the first two-plus seasons of his career in Sacramento after a standout four-year career at BYU. The 2011 lottery pick holds career averages of 7 points and 1.5 assists while shooting 41.6 percent overall and 40.2 percent on three-pointers.
"I see how this team plays and they play hard every single night and for each other," Fredette said, according to the Chicago Tribune. "They play the right way and that’s something I was looking for, to come into a team where I could fit in and play the way I wanted to and play hard every night and be part of a team. I’m excited to be here. I can’t wait to start."
The never-say-die Bulls hold a 33-26 record, good for third-best in the Eastern Conference, even though they lost Derrick Rose to a season-ending knee injury and traded Luol Deng to the Cavaliers in a salary dump. Chicago's defense currently ranks No. 2 in the league in efficiency, while their offense ranks No. 28. Fredette could provide some punch to a backcourt rotation that includes Kirk Hinrich, D.J. Augustin, Jimmy Butler and Tony Snell.
"He's got a skill that's as good as anyone," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said of Fredette, according to ESPNChicago.com. "He can shoot the ball. We need shooting. He's coming in late so we'll see how it unfolds."
