Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
PROVO -- In just a few days Jimmer Fredette will hear his name called to join an NBA team and will begin his NBA career and the experts have spoken, both for and against him.
Throughout his college career as a Brigham Young University Cougar, Fredette just kept getting better and better. And better.
As a freshman he averaged just seven points per game. His sophomore season saw him extend that to 16.2 ppg and his junior season saw him extend that even more to 22.1. Last season he drew in fans all around by averaging an unprecedented and national best 28.9 ppg.
Every team he faced got Jimmered.
But the questions are, will he "Jimmer" opponents as a NBA player? And, how will he measure up in the big spotlight?
As ESPN writers Peter Newmann and Dean Oliver put it, he may have led the NCAA in scoring last year, "But scoring doesn't necessarily translate to NBA success," they said in an ESPN.com article on June 17.
Newmann and Oliver also pointed out that Fredette measures in at 6-foot-2 ½ and say, "which makes him either an undersized shooting guard or an unproven point guard at the NBA level."
A past great and NBA point guard, such as, local favorite John Stockton measured at 6-foot-1 and had an amazing career averaging 13.1 ppg overall in his NBA career. Then there's the current Steve Nash who measures in at 6-foot-3 and has so far averaged 14.6 points per game overall in his NBA career.
There are also some great point guards that measure just a tad taller. For instance, remember Gary Payton? He measured in at 6-foot-4 and averaged 16.3 ppg overall as an NBA star. The current Jason Kidd is also a good example as he also measures in at 6-foot-4 and thus far has averaged 13.2 ppg.
Newmann and Oliver point out what Nash has had to do to become what he has and said, "Nash had to score a lot in college, but he later transformed into one of the greatest playmakers in NBA history. Will Fredette do the same?"
We will find that out in the future, but we also have to consider what some other experts are saying about Fredette.
Many will agree that Fredette's most powerful weapon is his offensive play and how unstoppable he is when he's on fire.
NBADraft.net writer Adam Ganeles compared Fredette and other potential Top pick Kemba Walker debating which would be a better NBA player.
Ganeles stated in an article posted on foxsports.com, June 18, "Fredette's a true offensive dynamo that eliminates the element of control from the defense. When on his game (much like Walker), he cannot be contained. He possesses in-the-gym range, and he's not just shooting with hope, but shooting with confidence."
These comments show how good offensively Fredette could do in the NBA, but how about defensively? Ganeles also said, "He's silenced critics of his overall athletic prowess, impressing at team workouts with his quickness and ability to defend the ball."
CBSSports.com Senior Writer Gary Parrish gave his Fredette opinion, saying he knows Fredette's a point guard and will not fail in the NBA.
Parrish stated, "he's going to be a better-than-most-believe professional because most seem to be focusing too much on what they think Fredette can't do as opposed to highlighting what it is he can do - like handle the ball, create, shoot and … pass. Yes, Jimmer can pass."
Fellow CBSSports.com Senior Writer Jeff Goodman expresses the opposite and says Jimmer is ill suited for the NBA.
Goodman said, "I'm not sure there's truly a guy in the NBA that Fredette can guard, but obviously that won't be why he gets on the court. However, if he's a complete liability - as he was on that end of the court in college - he won't get playing time."
Despite the negative feelings Goodman expresses in his article about Fredette being suited for the NBA, he also said he's not a 'Jimmer Hater.'
"I would love nothing more than to be wrong on my assessment and for Fredette to be a star at the next level," stated Goodman. "I loved him back from the days I saw him play AAU ball in the spring and summer with the Albany City Rocks. He's a great kid who was terrific for college basketball this past year, saving what was a subpar regular season void of high-powered teams and players."
Fredette will learn his fate in just a matter of days, and then from there, it'll be up to him what he does with it.
Email: onlinesports@ksl.com
