Jimmer Fredette: Have We Witnessed the Extent of Jimmer's Greatness?

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Jimmer Fredette's College Career Ends with a Whimper, and There May Not Be Any Bangs in the NBA

He may have ended up with 32 points, but my guess is that the final game of Jimmer Fredette's college career will not be remembered with any measure of fondness. This is primarily because he was unable to lead his BYU Cougars over the Florida Gators in the Big Dance for the second year in a row, but his 3-of-15 showing from beyond the arc won't help matters either.

It's been less than 24 hours since the Cougars were bounced from their first Sweet 16 since the days of Danny Ainge, but the next step in Jimmer's basketball journey has been up in the air for a while now.

There are things that we know Jimmer can do. He can score, shoot, and lead with the best of 'em, and such things are probably never going to be undervalued by NBA talent seekers. One way or another, these things alone will likely make Jimmer a first round draft pick, and one supposes that he will be welcomed with open arms wherever he ends up.

However, we really don't know what will happen after that. Jimmer definitely has the makings of a good pro player, but it's pretty hard to argue that he has the makings of a great pro player. His abilities on defense are highly suspect, he's too small too play the two, and we really don't know if he can effectively facilitate an offense. Such things can be ignored pretty easily when a player exhibits awesome natural athleticism, but Jimmer is not that kind of player.

Basically, what we have in Jimmer is a true wild card. The comparisons to Stephen Curry – another undersized shooter with questionable pro prospects – are definitely well-founded. The good news is that, like Curry, Jimmer is a worker, and that makes him worth the risk.

Now, if the question is whether or not Jimmer with worth the kind of risk that comes with a Top 10 pick, the answer right now is probably a resounding no. You could perhaps see a team like the Utah Jazz reaching for him, but that would only happen if the fans took over management of the team.

On balance, all those who were so easily captivated by the great Jimmer Fredette would perhaps do well not to mourn the end of BYU's season at this point in time. Instead, why not celebrate Jimmer's greatness to the fullest?

After all, we honestly don't know if we're ever going to see it again.

For another take on Jimmer, check out Hadarii Jones' piece, "Jimmer Fredette Is a Nice Player, but He's No Stephen Curry."

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