NBA Draft 2011: Will Kemba Walker or Jimmer Fredette Be Selected First?

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Heading into the 2011 Men's NCAA Basketball Championship, several players were under the NBA microscope.

Among them were Duke's Kyrie Irving, Brigham Young's Jimmer Fredette and, of course, UConn's Kemba Walker. However, only one is left playing for a championship.

Kemba Walker, UConn's junior point guard sensation, willed the Huskies to the Final Four in Houston, despite playing heavy minutes in every game dating back to the Big East tournament in early March.

Walker's stock has only risen with his most recent personal and team successes, while Irving and Fredette have likely played their final college basketball games. Both are predicted to enter June's NBA Draft.

Join B/R as we break down Jimmer and Kemba in hopes of determining which star goes first in this summer's draft.

 

 

Kemba Walker

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Kemba Walker has led the Huskies to 10 consecutive wins, dating back to the first round of the Big East tournament on March 8.

Walker was a nominee for Player of the Year as well, averaging 23.7 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 4.6 APG while shooting nearly 82 percent from the foul line.

Perhaps the most impressive statistic this season involving Walker is minutes played. Walker has played over 1,500 minutes for UConn in 40 games this season, bringing his average to 37.7 MPG.

The Huskies will go as far as Kemba takes them, and that's the highest compliment a player can receive.

Jimmer Fredette

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The AP National Player of the Year, Jimmer Fredette, led his BYU team to the Sweet Sixteen this season for the first time since 1981.

Fredette, the nation's leading scorer during the 2010-2011 season by nearly four points, improved his scoring numbers every season since his first in 2007-2008.

Fredette shot nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc this season, on his way to scoring over 1,000 points.

The Cougars only lost five games all season, including the season-ending one they suffered against Florida in the Sweet Sixteen round.

Fredette scored 32 points in the loss, but shot 11 for 29 from the field, including a disappointing 3 of 15 from the 3-point line.

Still, Jimmer scored fewer than 20 points in only four of BYU's 37 games this season and never scored fewer than 13 in any game. Remember this come draft day.

Better Scorer: Both

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Both Kemba Walker and Jimmer Fredette can create their own shots — an ability that is critical for a successful NBA player.

While Jimmer is far and away the better shooter (no knock on Kemba), Walker has a knack for scoring from anywhere on the floor when his team needs him to.

Both are excellent at getting to the free throw line and capitalizing on their opportunities once they get there.

Both can shoot the three, and shoot it well, although Jimmer gets the nod because of his unlimited range.

Still, it's just too hard to give anyone the edge here. Both can score well and often.

Better Passer: Jimmer Fredette

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Both Walker and Fredetter average just over four assists per game. The stat is certainly nothing to shout about, but still impressive for two of the game's better scorers.

Fredette's ability to be creative after penetrating the defense gives him the slight edge over Kemba.

Time and time again, Jimmer has wowed fans of both teams with highlight-reel passes through traffic and around collapsing defenses.

 

 

Better Defender: Kemba Walker

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Perhaps the most underrated aspect of a dynamic point guard is his defensive ability. Both Kemba Walker and Jimmer Fredette have led the nation in scoring while trying to slow opposing floor generals.

However, this particular aspect also just so happens to be Kemba Walker's specialty. Walker averaged nearly two steals per game in 2010-2011 and two rebounds per game more than Fredette.

Thankfully for Jimmer, the NBA is more about offense than it is defense. Odds are that Jimmer will be drafted to score points, not to defend Kobe in the fourth quarter.

 

Better Potential: Jimmer Fredette

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Both Walker and Fredette should go on to experience successful NBA careers, but who has more potential at the next level?

Jimmer.

Fredette can create his own shot — which is very important in the NBA — and has shooting range for days.

One can compare Fredette to Golden State's Stephen Curry, who was drafted 7th overall to the Warriors two years ago.

Curry, once just a shooter at a small college, has found success in the NBA as a point guard, averaging over 18 PPG and nearly 6 APG for the Warriors. Jimmer would be wise to follow Curry's lead.

Walker is every bit as talented as Fredette. However, his size and the overall quickness and length of NBA defenses raises some questions.

Jimmer gets the edge based on the wow factor.

 

Better in Crunch Time: Kemba Walker

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Kemba Walker has been, for the lack of a better word, clutch.

Walker led the Huskies to five straight wins in five days during the 2011 Big East tournament, including a game-winning step back jumper over no. 1-seeded Pittsburgh in the third round.

Since then, Walker hasn't skipped a beat, running UConn's win streak to 10 games and bringing them within one win of a national championship.

Win or lose, one thing is for sure: The Huskies will go as far as Kemba takes them.

Better Toughness: Both

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Both Kemba and Jimmer have put their respective teams on their back during their illustrious college careers.

They both played major minutes and played through pain in the process. Neither player should be prone to injury or a liability down the stretch like Portland's Greg Oden.

Arguably the most important trait in a point guard is his toughness: his ability to bounce back after a bad play or an injury and continue to play at a high level.

That's Kemba. That's Jimmer.

So, Who Goes First?

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Kemba! Kemba! Kemba!

UConn and Kemba Walker's improbable run to the Big East crown and Final Four is enough to grab the attention of NBA general managers everywhere.

Walker is on the brink of becoming the tournament's MVP and perhaps the best college basketball player on the planet, no disrespect to Fredette or even Kyrie Irving.

Walker is a scoring machine, a competitor, and more importantly, a winner. You have to be all three of those if you want to make it at the next level.

Patrick Clarke is a Featured Columnist for the Phoenix Suns and a student at Towson University.