There are several qualities guard Jimmer Fredette says he likes about spending time in San Antonio — the weather, the people, the opportunity to try out for the Spurs.

What he enjoys as much as anything is the anonymity.

“It’s still pretty tough in Salt Lake, or anywhere in Utah, to go out without being recognized,” Fredette said. “Here, I can blend in a little bit more.”

Were it not for a sizzling senior season at BYU in 2010-11 — when he averaged 28.9 points, was a consensus national player of the year and spawned his own personal mania — Fredette would be as anonymous as your postal carrier.

He is a normal-sized human at 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds. Though 26 years old, Jimmer — full name James Taft Fredette — could pass for a high school junior taking notes in the front of an honors algebra class.

When he talks about the possibility of relaunching his NBA career with the Spurs, after four nondescript seasons in Sacramento, Chicago and New Orleans — Fredette does so with a relentless optimism that makes him sound like Beaver Cleaver’s long-lost cousin.

“There’s been good parts and bad parts to my career so far,” Fredette said. “That’s like with every single job out there. You have to keep grinding, and keep believing in yourself that you can make it.”

It is a long way from the height of “Jimmer Mania” to where Fredette is today, scrapping for the Spurs’ 15th and final roster spot.

He has made a career out of keeping his head up.

Drafted 10th overall in 2011 — five spots before the Spurs grabbed Kawhi Leonard — Fredette has struggled to gain traction in the NBA so far.

In 229 games, he has averaged 6.1 points and hit 38.1 percent of his 3-pointers. Last season in New Orleans, Fredette made a paltry 18.8 percent of his 3-point attempts in 50 games.

“You just have to put everything in perspective,” Fredette said. “Basketball is awesome, but sometimes other things are more important. If you have that perspective, it helps to level you out and keep you grounded.”

Fredette said the Spurs weren’t on his radar before they signed him to a camp deal in late July.

The Spurs signaled their interest by guaranteeing $507,000 of Fredette’s $1.1 million veteran minimum contract, a larger-than-usual sum for a camp deal.

Fredette relishes a fresh start in San Antonio, where the Spurs are looking for another bench shooter to replace the departed Marco Belinelli but are likely to have only one roster spot available.

Fredette faces competition for it.

Reggie Williams, 29, holds the edge in familiarity, having appeared in 20 games with the Spurs at the end of last season.

Rasual Butler, a 36-year-old small forward, has the advantage of experience, with 13 NBA seasons under his belt.

Butler played in 75 games with Washington last season, averaging 7.7 points.

“I’ve played in big games before, hit big shots in big moments,” Butler said.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich calls Butler “somebody who’s got a great shot to make our team.”

“He obviously can shoot the basketball,” Popovich said. “If he couldn’t shoot, we wouldn’t be talking to him.”

Fredette would fall into that category as well, especially if he can recapture the magic that made him a national sensation at BYU.

Though Popovich declined to handicap the race for the Spurs’ final roster slot, he said he likes what he has seen from Fredette so far.

“He’s a hard-working young man,” Popovich said. “He’s a very good shooter, trying to extend his game and show he’s a complete player.”

Wednesday afternoon, Fredette will board a flight bound for Thursday’s Spurs preseason opener in Sacramento, hoping to reignite his NBA career in the city where it started.

True to his good nature, Fredette says he has no hard feelings for the Kings, or either of the other NBA teams who gave up on him.

Testament to the upheaval in Sacramento, only two players remain from Fredette’s 2½ seasons there — DeMarcus Cousins and Ben McLemore.

“Everyone else is gone,” Fredette said. “They’ve been through a couple coaches. They’re moving on and so am I.”

Whether Fredette permanently alights in South Texas will be a question that plays out over the next few weeks.

Fredette wouldn’t mind becoming a household name again in San Antonio. First he has to make the team.

“Sometimes it takes a while to find the right situation, the right team, the right coach at the right time,” Fredette said. “It’s the way the league is. You can’t stay frustrated.”

jmcdonald@express-news.net

Twitter: @JMcDonald_SAEN