Jimmer Mania wasn’t all hype. This, Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard firmly believes.

Immersed in his own rookie season, Leonard admits he hasn’t seen Jimmer Fredette play much this season with the Kings.

But he remembers how Fredette lit up the Mountain West Conference — and his own San Diego State squad — last season at BYU, led the NCAA in scoring and won national player of the year honors.

Fredette, a 6-foot-2 shooter the Kings are hoping to remake as a point guard, has struggled to find a foothold his first season in Sacramento. Heading into Wednesday’s game against the Spurs, Fredette was averaging 7.2 points and shooting 38.3 percent in 18:23 per game.

“It’s his first year,” said Leonard, selected 15th in the June draft, five spots lower than Fredette. “Everybody’s struggling as rookies coming in. With the lockout, you didn’t get to practice with your teammates. He’s a hard worker. I believe he’ll get better as time goes on.”

via Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News