NBA Draft Profile: Jimmer Fredette
Jun 8, 2011, 7:42 PM | Updated: 9:56 pm
Jimmer Fredette is the media darling of this draft, the senior point guard out of BYU went on a scoring spree unlike anything seen before. The common thought on Fredette is that he is a great shooter who lacks athleticism and explosiveness.
That was what he was a few years ago, today he is much more and a very complete offensive weapon. Yes, Fredette can shoot the ball from anywhere on the court and if you blink on defense he will make you pay, but that is the surface of his game.
Coming from New York to Utah was a drastic change in environment for a player like Fredette. In New York he had to play gritty needing to score off the dribble, that made him tougher than he may appear at times. He still has that New York crossover to his game, if a defender overplays the shot Fredette can sneak around them and get into the lane where he is just as effective. His upper body strength inhibits him to bounce off defenders and absorb contact to finish in the lane.
What makes Fredette so effective is his offensive awareness, when defenders are overly aggressive trying to stop one aspect of his game he switches to another.
He did what was asked of him in college, he was asked to score and score often. He was not asked to distribute (which he can), he was not asked to defend (being the whole offense stops that) and he was not asked to play athletically (which he tested better than expected) so his short comings were by design. The Suns need an identity for the future at the point guard position as a team, a prospect like Fredette could give them both.
