Jimmer Fredette Exploring NBA Return

As he nears the end of a successful season in China, former NBA lottery pick Jimmer Fredette is “starting to engage” NBA teams about a possible return stateside, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). As Wojnarowski notes, Fredette is currently playing for the Shanghai Sharks in the Chinese Basketball Association’s playoffs.

Fredette, 28, has enjoyed an MVP season in China, averaging an eye-popping 37.4 PPG for Shanghai to go along with 7.9 RPG and 4.3 APG. His play helped the Sharks earn a 30-8 record this season, and he’s currently looking to lead the team to a spot in the CBA semi-finals.

Fredette’s first stint in the NBA, which consisted of 235 total regular season games for the Kings, Bulls, Pelicans, and Knicks, was a bit of a disappointment, given his college résumé. A former 10th overall pick out of BYU, Fredette averaged just 6.0 PPG in his NBA career, but he didn’t lose his shooting touch, making more than 38% of his total long-distance attempts.

Coming off his performance in China, Fredette may draw interest from NBA teams looking to add one more shooter before the postseason. Fredette told Les Carpenter of The Vertical back in January that, while he was enjoying his time in China, he would likely explore a return to the NBA if an opportunity arose.

Obviously, I’m from the USA and the NBA is the greatest league in the world, and if I have the opportunity to play in the NBA that’s where I would love to play,” Fredette said at the time.

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