The Machine That Is Jimmer Fredette
Do you remember the boy band craze of the late '90s? NSync, Backstreet Boys and 98 Degrees? Well, I’m sitting here trying to forget that time in my life. People were going insanely crazy for these bands.
That was the same type of feel Jimmer Fredette was bringing to the college basketball game in his senior year at BYU. He won all the accolades, had so much charisma and charm that people loved and it didn’t hurt that he was white and good. But now, Jimmer is in the NBA, which is a whole 'nother beast.
Jimmer was drafted by a team in the Sacramento Kings who almost moved to Anaheim this past summer and was having a rough time selling tickets He was drafted because of his popularity, and to fill the seats in the arena. The Sacramento Kings fans will embrace Jimmer, buy his jerseys and love his long range three-point shot.
But the craze can only last so long. People want and love winners.
The only problem is that Jimmer is a pure scorer and not a distributor, just like his teammates Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins and everyone else on the roster. Many people have deemed the Kings as the “Black Hole” where the players on the roster literally hate to pass the ball.
It will be hard for Jimmer to get enough shots to score enough points to be relevant in his rookie year. That machine and popularity will die down because of it. Hopefully coach Paul Westphal can install a motion offense, which utilizes the skills of Fredette and Evans. Many will critique, bash, and hate on Jimmer because of it, just as the media and everyone else have with Tim Tebow and LeBron James.
Many have compared Jimmer to previous white college basketball players of the year Adam Morrison and J.J. Redick. Morrison has been one of the biggest busts ever, while Redick is a solid role player.
Although Jimmer is shorter then both players, his athleticism is not to be compared. While at BYU, we didn’t get to see Jimmer play any defense because his coach didn’t want him to get into foul trouble.
In the NBA, Jimmer will have to guard the likes of Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook and Deron Williams. Although he will have a tough time like everyone else has, his athleticism will allow him to stay decently in front of them.
Jimmer will be a better version of Redick, but he looks more like a poor man’s Ben Gordon. He will be in the running for Sixth Man of the Year for many years to come, but I don’t believe the Sacramento Kings found their point guard of the future.
The machine that is Jimmer Fredette will die down in the NBA, as he won't be able to score as easily as he did in college, but he will still have a good, solid NBA career. Who knows? He could surprise us all.
We will witness the next “Great White Hype” this upcoming season.
