5 teams that could use Jimmer Fredette for the playoffs

While Jimmer Fredette’s NBA career didn’t go quite as he was hoping, the former Naismith Player of the Year has found great success hooping in the Chinese Basketball Association as a member of the Shanghai Dongfang.

The reigning league MVP, he is having another tremendous season, averaging 37 points, six rebounds, and five assists per game while shooting 45/41/95 — Chinese basketball is awesome. While their league is in the middle of their playoffs, the Shanghai Sharks are a 10-seed and it’ll take some tremendous play for them to advance all the way to the finals.

If a team was wanting to pick up a guard that can come off the bench for a few possessions to knock down some 3-pointers, there are few better options out there on the market. Here are five teams that could take a chance on Fredette for their playoff run.

Boston Celtics

The Celtics’ bench is one of the least productive second units in the league. They average just 34.3 points per game, leaving the starters to carry the bulk of the scoring responsibility. They compensate by shooting the fifth-most 3-pointers in the league.

For a team that is playing Shane Larkin as their fifth guard off the bench, and seeing him shoot 39.7 percent from the field, Fredette could turn into a better shooting option in the limited opportunities available for him in the playoffs. Brad Stevens would have a player that he can turn to for 10-12 possessions in the third quarter and get instant offense from, to power a run or make a quick comeback to close a lead that the starters may have given up.

They can pair Fredette alongside Rozier, Smart, Morrisand Horford, to give them enough defenders to cover for Fredette’s defensive deficiencies while he’s allowed an opportunity to catch fire on offense.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers are in a similar situation to the Boston Celtics. Their reserves put up just 32 points per game, good for the 23rd-best mark in the league. They’re able to go through Domantas Sabonis as their primary scorer off the bench, but don’t have a perimeter threat to challenge defenses. They average just 6.2 3-pointers as a unit, the second-worst rate in the league. If they signed Fredette, he would just be a guard version of Bojan Bogdanovic, putting up nearly half of his field goal attempts from beyond the arc.

Fredette put up almost 500 3-point attempts this season with the Sharks in only 40 games — the Pacers as a team have attempted almost 1600 in 65 games — they could use some of that 3-point shooting.

Washington Wizards

The Wizards have been treading water with John Wall out of the lineup with an injury. While Tomas Satoransky has been doing his best in relief of Wall as a starter, the Wizards are left with Tim Frazier as their backup guard option. Frazier, in his first season in Washington, is shooting just 29 percent on … one 3-point attempt per game.

For Scott Brooks and his team, they’re going to need more shooting off the bench than someone that is shooting under 30 percent and is only shooting one 3-pointer a game. That leaves them with a second unit that is going to struggle to string together defensive stops and turn them into points on the other end — otherwise known as a “run.”

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder drafted Terrance Ferguson in the first round with the hopes of developing him into a scorer off the bench, a dynamic athlete that could also score from the perimeter. He hasn’t quite figured that out this season – he had a stretch before the All-Star break with over 60 minutes played without a field goal. That’s not something that Fredette would struggle with.

It’s not like the Thunder have another viable option off the bench either. Raymond Felton is already doing a yeoman’s work by directing the offense for the second unit; Josh Huestis is inconsistent, and hasn’t developed into a contributor yet; Alex Abrines is their only perimeter threat, and if they want to be able to outscore the Thunder, they’re going to need another guy. Playing Fredette alongside Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony and Steven Adams would be such a fun lineup for the final stretch of the season.

Next: Bogdan Bogdanovic is already something

Utah Jazz

The Jazz traded Rodney Hood and Joe Johnson at the All-Star break, getting Jae Crowder back. But the veteran forward is shooting just 30 percent from the perimeter, and they could use another scoring option off the bench to help supplement their defense. Royce O’Neal has been solid for them off the bench, and Fredette can be the perimeter threat in the backcourt between him and Raul Neto.

The Jazz aren’t currently a playoff team, tied with the Nuggets at 35-30 for ninth place in the conference. But at this point, they need to add wild cards to their roster to give them as good of a chance as possible to make it into the postseason.