There's no doubt in our minds, when he is clearly one of the quickest and dazzling prospects of the draft to emerge in the limelight, that Fredette is drawing more controversy than he is amassing applause. He is qualified as an unknown draftee in America, although he was evidently a national power in college hoops last season, earning a name for himself to solidify his draft stock.
He'd much rather not play fierce defensively, which tells us all there is to know about the weakness of his game, a flaw that convince us he's not ready to translate within the pro level. The quality of his play has blinded the weaknesses he has exposed, when Fredette is roughly one of the greatest shooters of our generation, a sharpshooter with brilliance and too much artistry in his craft of marksmanship.
We've come to believe that he is suddenly the biggest curiosity in the slowest month of the sports year, and as much as people are overly worshipping an unproven player -- for being one of the most thrilling college ballplayers -- the average person has been overshadowed by his good character, race and most telling season that never really was so telling after all.
Regardless of how he is described as a player, with the Jimmer insanity is buzzing all over New York, he was swarmed by reporters on Wednesday afternoon at a hotel in Manhattan. By now, he probably thought he could avoid the criticism and survive in the NBA with his stellar shooting, persuading franchises to select him in the first round of the draft, even though he has not fully developed into a well-rounded ballplayer.
If Jimmer is the best player in the draft, couldn't it be that he'd be projected to go No. 1 overall in the draft?? You would think so -- but there are names more worthy of being called on first, such as former Duke's point guard Kyrie Irving or Arizona's Derrick Williams. So the man of an unsolved mystery stood in the hotel near a swarm of reporters, hearing the media pontificate as his thoughts wandered in his mind. And, of course, Fredette, with an aura that leaves us pondering about his athleticism on the pro level, is elusive and comprises of a singular persona.
"This is what comes with the territory if you're gonna be an NBA basketball player and have a big name out there," Fredette said. "I'm excited that everyone's here and everyone wants to know what's going on."
More than eight weeks have passed since Fredette has earned more attention, clearly getting more spotlight than other prospects in this NBA class. At this time, the basketball experts are certifiably insane to think of Fredette as the most spectacular player of the NBA Draft. One guard has walked slowly down the hotel walkway, looking thrilled for the moment of being selected to play for an NBA franchise by Thursday night. That'd be Fredette, of course.
What's notably easy to discover is he could be mistaken for a short white man with no basketball abilities, but he's not and Fredette is indeed a very skilled specimen. Even if he is pegged to be selected from No. 7-22, although he is seemingly over hyped and has been the magnet of draftees all week, the erstwhile BYU star still has a bevy of flaws and could amend his defensive woes. It would be some experiment, not to mention a risky maneuver, in bringing aboard Fredette in attempt to transform an inferior franchise and turn it into an elite contender.
It seems very likely, but it won't materialize immediately, depending on how quick Fredette resurrects his defensive capabilities, an infirmity that affects his level of perfection. For some, however, he's a shoot-first guard and sometimes he settles for terrible shots. His dream is suddenly here and, even more than that, he has much potential and has every intent of rising on the professional level, donning an NBA jersey for a franchise in need of talented stars.
Not too sure Fredette's personality or lack of defensive effort suits a substandard team selecting in the first rounds of the draft. What has impressed executives is his ability to score and distribute the ball, all the elements that depicted him as a standout athlete on the collegiate level. In recent weeks, he has worked out for the Charlotte, Milwaukee, Golden State and reportedly New York, a handful of teams targeting Fredette after his impressive workouts. Equipped with offensive power, Fredette averaged a staggering 28.9 points per game for BYU last season.
In this draft alone, even though it would be a tough dilemma for a franchise in search for another role player as part of an extreme makeover, the New York Knicks are in good position to select Fredette at No. 17 as he is expected to be picked late in the first round. There are rumors the Knicks are willing to move up in the first round, so the odds for Jimmer are immense.
It all seems sensible for Mike D'Antoni, a coach who never emphasizes the emphasis of defensive effort, which is all the more reason Fredette would excel in D'Antoni's quick-shooting, up-tempo system. That would be a fundamentally sound unit with the bona fide tandem of Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, but it won't reduce any blemishes if the Knicks never present a defensive effort. Where ever he lands, he probably won't evolve into an impact player instantly.
Therefore, he is worth the gamble, just not convincing to the NBA. Hell, not even proven to be a superstar, and he could turn into a bust. Because he initially said that he would love to play for the Knicks, raised in upstate New York, Fredette has absorbed particularly the most attention. They are also amazed by his astonishing spring in college hoops and seem optimistic he can translate it to the NBA level
The tale of the Jimmer Show was produced from his art of shooting and he generated buzz nationally because of his pleasant performance regularly, where he ruled NCAA Division I basketball. Just like he was so superb in college hoops can he translate his awe-inspiring play to the NBA level, worthy of being a star player for a contender?? It remains a mystery, leaving us guessing about Fredette's consistency and status from the pro standpoint. Before we judge his stature as a player, might we realize that he is a 6-foot-3 sharpshooting guard?
The problem is, no doubt, he doesn't defend even though he has skeptics believing that he's an absolute surprise as far as workouts by his work in progress to enhance his athleticism. As for all the gossip swirling around this week, mostly surrounding the likes of Jimmer, he is worth dwelling over a bit since he has plenty of range and can contribute massively with his capacity to score at will. If he hears his name called, which he'll eventually walk onto the stage when a team selects Fredette, it could be the Sacramento Kings at the No. 7 spot.
Or some have even speculated that he'll be available on the No. 12 pick for Utah, where he is heavily revered in a Mormon territory after aggrandizing his popularity at BYU seen as a celebrity more than a college student. When he sets foot on a court in the NBA, for a change of scenery to make a transition from the collegiate level to the pros, he'll be a rookie and can be a top-notch scorer. In the meantime, Fredette, the 2011 College Player of the Year, led the nation in scoring and BYU to one of its greatest seasons.
The rationale for which teams are leery in drafting Fredette is his disadvantages while building for a professional career. Ok, so he was the best player in the Mountain West Conference. Sure, he was a brilliant stud, but he tends to struggle when none of his teammates are designing a play offensively. He is comfortable in moving off screens and pump-faking, and then delivering the fallaway jump shot, a trend he followed so well to intimidate and outplay the opposing defenders.
It's normal whenever rookies have trouble adjusting to the pro level or even defending an NBA star, in which it won't be surprising to see Jimmer struggle in that department. Fredette was the most creative player in college, efficient in scoring and creating opportunities off the dribble, but he's the one shooter who needs plenty of touches to be an ultimate threat. At the risk of misunderstanding, the surest notion is that none of the criticism or unattractiveness relates to racism.
The heavy talk circulates his race, whether or not the NBA is prejudice against white players. Maybe he'll be the next Mike Miller, who was the No. 5 overall pick in 2000. Or maybe he'll be historically horrific, equivalent to Marcus Fizer or Chris Mihim. What if he even emulate Dell Curry, who was one of the worst defenders but a gifted shooter and, surely enough, he can change the dynamics in a game if he becomes a role player.
With all of this, he is fun to watch, but the lights, cameras, and lastly, uttering the word "action" ought to wait until he proves to be a star in the NBA. Otherwise, the Jimmer Show is cancelled.
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