Keith Smart broke his rule about not playing players that don't play in the first half of a game Wednesday night.
And if hadn't the Kings might have ended their five-game homestand with a loss.
Fredette played the final 20:50 of the game, scoring 12 points to go with two assists and a steal in the Kings 95-94 win over the Washington Wizards.
Smart doesn't like to play anyone that has sat the entire first half if the game is still in doubt. But with the Kings needed a spark, down 58-50, and Smart turned to Fredtte to replace Isaiah Thomas.
The Kings outscored the Wizards by nine with Fredette in the game.
"I thought that I needed a shooter," Smart said. "We got that. Jimmer hit a couple of threes. When we posted up (DeMarcus) Cousins, the ball came right to him. Jimmer had a couple plays and made some big three-pointers for us. He's done a lot of good things. This is going to be a simple process for him as he continues to play on the floor where teams are trying to attack him. He's doing a great job defensively and working his tail off. I took a chance with that group on the floor and I was going to lose the game with them, but I'm glad it worked out."
The benefits of playing Fredette are obvious. His shooting gives the Kings a player the defense has to respect and creates spacing on the floor.
Fredette is also a good decision maker, like the pass he found Cousins with to set up a three-point play and tied the game with 1:48 to play Wednesday.
Tyreke Evans said Fredette assumed he wouldn't play after not playing in the first and that he told him to stay ready.
Cousins was obviously happy for Fredette during the game.
"I mean, people forget it's only Jimmer's second year so he's still trying to find himself," Cousins said. "He's having a hard time because he is a good scorer for us but at the same time he has to come out there and run the point guard position. So he has the balance and he's still trying to find his way. But he made a good play and when he makes a good play I'm going to congratulate him."
There are no guarantees Fredette will be featured consistently going forward. Fredette played at the expense of Marcus Thornton and Aaron Brooks, two players Smart won't sit that long on a regular basis.
But things worked out Wednesday.
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