Jimmer Fredette Ready for NBA Return
Jimmer Fredette is turning heads once again. The former Brigham Young University (BYU) standout has failed to make a mark in the National Basketball Association (NBA) since he was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in 2011, but he may get another chance to prove that he belongs in the big league.
Fredette played for the Shanghai Sharks in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) this season and he managed to impress a lot of people with his ability to score. Of course, the players there don't really play defense much. He was named the international most valuable player (MVP) of the CBA recently and now he's back in the United States.
According to ESPN's Marc Stein, Fredette is "eagerly awaiting the phone call" from teams and he wants another shot at his NBA dream.
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He can definitely shoot, there's no doubt about that. But it's going to be difficult getting shots off against opposing players who are faster, taller and more athletic. He has to open to be able to score efficiently. And because of his limited athletic ability, Fredette will also have a hard time defending opposing players.
Fredette practically a legend in BYU and he's huge in the China, but can he really make an impact in the NBA?
"Jimmer Fredette can't be a rotation player in the NBA. The dream is over. It was dead on arrival, when he was drafted. He was never going to have the size or mobility to be able to stay on the floor defensively, and he was never going to be able to shoot well enough against bigger defenders to be a plus offensively to overcome that. We've been down this road a million times, and will continue to go down it, but there's just honestly no reason for it," CBS Sports' Matt Moore said in his report.
A lot of people think Fredette just doesn't have the physical tools to play in the NBA. However, he deserves another chance to show the basketball world what he can do on the big stage.
