Shimmering Jimmer: Ten Comparable NBA Players to Jimmer Fredette
Jimmer Fredette has been without question the most exciting scorer in college basketball this season.
Against San Diego State University, in a match up of two top-ten teams, Fredette dropped 43 of BYU's 69 points to lead his team to victory.
He exploded in the NCAA Tournament last year, and has stayed hot ever since.
It's time to start comparing Fredette to some current NBA Players, as his draft stock rises and he prepares to play professionally.
Let's take a look at his comparisons.
1. Mike Miller (Miami Heat)
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Career: 13.5 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.5 APG, .405 3PT
Miller is six inches taller than Fredette at 6'8, but they share several similarities.
Miller has always started the majority of his games played in his career, but he's used as more of a sharp shooter.
In terms of off-ball abilities, both players are similar to each other since they don't play very well without the basketball in their hands.
Mike Miller has a career three-point percentage of about 40, which is very comparable to Fredette.
2. J.J. Redick (Orlando Magic)
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Career: 7.5 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 1.3 APG, .397 3PT
Redick was as dynamic of a scorer we've seen in his days at Duke.
In his current situation, he's playing sixth man for the Orlando Magic, and has climbed a long way since being drafted.
Fredette can replicate Redick's style as a wing player on offense, but Redick has developed a defensive toughness that comes with time and experience in the NBA.
Jimmer will have to work very hard to defy skepticism from critics, just as Redick did after being drafted 11th overall in 2006.
Redick also shoots over 40 percent from deep.
3. Kevin Martin (Houston Rockets)
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Career: 18.1 PPG, 1.9 APG, 3.5 RPG, .403 3PT
Martin plays Fredette's exact role in Houston.
He has the ball in his hands the majority of the time, and is allowed to do with it whatever he wants.
Kevin Martin plays on a current Rockets team that's missing Aaron Brooks, so there's no other primary scorer in the back court.
Another similarity between both men is the excellent free throw shooting. Jimmer can drive and get to the hole, just as Martin does.
Fredette lacks some of Martin's quickness though.
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4. Anthony Morrow (New Jersey Nets)
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Career: 11.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.3 APG, .450 3PT
Morrow can consider himself lucky after making the Warriors team in 2008.
He played in the D-League for a little while, but has found a team where he can play his role perfectly.
He can shoot jumpers all day, and since the Nets are not contending yet, their defense is not expected to be great.
Fredette would greatly benefit from being drafted by a run-and-gun system like Morrow's former team, the Golden State Warriors.
Adam Morrison (Free Agent)
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Career: 8.6 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 1.3 APG, .426 3PT
It's a sad comparison, but nobody can avoid the facts here.
Morrison played in a very weak basketball conference (West Coast Conference) while at Gonzaga, just like Fredette.
His shooting abilities were as good, if not better than Fredette's while in school, and now he's not even on an NBA roster.
Morrison is a classic case of what can happen to a one-dimensional shooter in the NBA, and even worse for Fredette is that he's undersized too.
We all remember Morrison being passionate and emotional in college, but in the NBA, skill speaks for itself when you're a developing player.
Gary Neal (San Antonio Spurs)
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Career: 8.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.0 APG, .397 3PT
Neal is in his rookie season at the age of 26, and the Spurs have found their clutch shooter.
He's eighth in the rotation in San Antonio, but Neal has gotten compliments from Tim Duncan as "one of the best shooters he's played with."
Here would be another ideal situation for Fredette to end up in. He'd be playing for a championship contender, and wouldn't be asked to do too much in his first few seasons.
Fredette is a much better defender than Neal, but they draw comparisons to each other as small guards.
Jason Terry (Dallas Mavericks)
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Career: 16.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 4.8 APG, .380 3PT
A career like Jason Terry's would almost be the best case scenario for Fredette.
Terry has started successfully as both a point guard and a shooting guard for a couple good teams, and Terry matches up almost identically with Fredette in terms of height and weight.
Fredette is a more consistent shooter than Terry's career averages indicate (44.8 percent FG), and Fredette is an even better finisher at the rim than Terry is too.
Jason Terry averages around 1.3 steals per game on his career, which is around Fredette's abilities too.
Jimmer "The Jet" Fredette has a nice ring to it!
Arron Afflalo (Denver Nuggets)
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Career: 7.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.2 APG, .409 3PT
Afflalo fits nicely into the description of Fredette.
Fredette's defensive ability is decent when compared to Afflalo, and should improve with better competition and time as a professional.
Currently, Afflalo is starting in Denver, and shooting over fifty percent from the field, with a .437 percentage from deep.
Those are Jimmer numbers, and although Afflalo is bigger than Fredette, Jimmer can be made into a solid defender.
The only difference is, Fredette has possession of the ball much more frequently.
Wesley Matthews (Portland Trail Blazers)
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Career: 11.8 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 1.7 APG, .381 3PT
Matthews is another successful story. He signed a very nice free-agent contract with Portland after blossoming with the Jazz last season.
Fredette has similar athletic ability to Matthews, and Matthews is often a key player in Portland's offensive game-plan without Brandon Roy these days.
Jimmer is an even better shooter than Matthews though.
Fredette will have more pressure on himself as a possible lottery pick when he's drafted.
Matthews had better competition in the Big East when playing for Marquette in college, but Fredette's potential to be better than a player like Matthews is evident.
Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks)
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Career: 20.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.3 APG, .384 3PT
Of course minus the injuries, Fredette could very possibly have the nice career that Redd is having.
Coming out of Ohio State, Redd's three-point jumper was as sweet as sugar, and Fredette can relate to that.
Redd has always been known as a wing player, and with his experience on several bad Milwaukee Bucks teams, he had the ball in his hands an awful lot.
Fredette is definitely more nimble with his feet, and shoots free throws at a better rate.
One thing to remember when comparing them is that Redd's career numbers are hampered by injuries, and he was former USA National Team player.
Redd could have been much better of a player if not for his said case of the injury bug, but I'd give Fredette comparable potential to Redd when he was drafted in 2000.
.png?w=480 "NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Championship")
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