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My Official Position on Jimmer and the Jazz
Posted by: Jeff Winget on March 19th, 2011
The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of the Utah Jazz.With all the buzz surrounding Jimmer Fredette and his potential in a Jazz uniform, I think that it’s time for me to weigh in. What I’m about to write won’t be popular, but I have to say it. The Jazz shouldn’t draft Jimmer with either one of their lottery picks.
In saying this, I have to say that I think Jimmer will be an asset to whatever team he goes to in the league. I think a team like Phoenix or Golden State will snag him in the draft, and he will flourish in that type of system. I also think that after his performance against Gonzaga tonight, his draft stock will rise even more. So, with that being said, here are my five reasons that the Jazz shouldn’t draft Jimmer.
- Number 5: he’s a tweener in a bad way. The NBA is full of guys who play multiple positions. AK47 might be the ultimate example of this. For most players this is an advantage. For Jimmer it’s not. Jimmer shoots and scores like a shooting guard, but he is built like a point guard. So, in the NBA, he will be too small to play SG and too slow and not a good enough passer to play point guard. He’s a tweener because of genetics, not because of skill.
- Number 4: he doesn’t fill a need for the Jazz. Yes, I know the Jazz need a shooter in the worst way imaginable, but they need a shooter who will fit within their system. At BYU, Jimmer is the offense. His usage rate is ridiculously high even for a scoring point guard, and he is the most effective when he is able to create for himself. I have a hard time seeing him producing by running the Harpring curl for a spot up 15-footer 10 times a night. He needs the ball to produce, and he won’t have that within the flex.
- Number 3: the Jazz need athleticism. By trading away Deron Williams, the Jazz got a lot less explosive and athletic on the guard line. CJ Miles is the most athletic guy in the rotation right now, and the Jazz need a few more athletic guys in the mix to help on both ends of the floor. Jimmer isn’t athletic. He’s crafty and has a fantastic step-back jumper, but that doesn’t make him athletic.
- Number 2: he’s 6′2″. If he was Kyle Korver’s height, I’d be all over it, but he’s not. You can’t fix that with practice either.
- Number 1: he’s a terrible defender. DraftExpress sums up his defensive liabilities this way:
“The biggest concern about Fredette’s transition to the NBA clearly lies on the defensive end. He is a poor defender, even at the college level, showing average length, heavy feet and unimpressive lateral quickness. He rarely gets into an actual defensive stance, fails to get a hand up on shooters and shows little interest in trying to fight through screens. The same laid-back approach that makes him so difficult to get off-kilter offensively is a serious detriment to his work on the other end, potentially making him a liability in the NBA.” –http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Jimmer-Fredette-5810/#ixzz1H6sbKdS0
I know there are a bunch of Jazz fans that would love to see their favorite college player come to the Jazz. I’ve gone through it with Bogut and Van Horn in the past, so I can relate. However, in Jimmer’s case, I don’t think he is a good fit for the Jazz, and that’s not going to change anytime soon. For Jimmer’s sake, fans should want him to go to Phoenix or New York, where he will flourish in the fun-and-gun system and be able to mask his liabilities, especially on the defensive end. As for the Jazz, they should look elsewhere.
Replies: 39
Views: 2426
39 Responses
Agree with you, especially reason #5 about size and reason #1 defensive skills. The one advantage would be to put paying fans in the seats and I know the Jazz have done that in the past. But I don’t think that is fair to Ferdette. He needs to go somewhere he can be just a shooter, not a guy who comes in off the bench once in a while to appease the fans. Great college players, even the best, do not always become great NBA players. Let’s just hope he ends up in the eastern conference.
I have to agree with you to an extent. Its actually the other guards on BYU that allow Fredette to play successfully. We do not have the defensive presence that helps him to succeed.
That being said, who do you draft if the other guys who would help us, are all gone by our second pick? Watching this past couple of days, it may happen that he is left and the others are gone. I think a SG is most important, but there is some talent you cannot pass up on. We need guys who can shoot and also defend out on the perimeter, but looking at the draft who is there who fits our needs? If there is no one who fills our holes, then which person do you pick next?
I guess we should wait and see where we slot during the draft, and then who is actually picked. There are some kids that are impressive as you can read in my post that follows yours.. Williams and Barnes are very impressive, hope one slips through toward the NJN pick. Walker, Knight, Honeycutt, Leonard, Fredette, Terrence Jones, Hamilton are all looking pretty good, many would fit and help..
I agree with all of them. I don’t forsee him being a Jazz player no matter how bad some of us want him. With all that I’m seeing out of CJ, he’ll probably end up being the scorer the team needs so bad. IMO, the Jazz should not think about a point guard in the draft this year. Try again next year or trade one of the picks to get a decent to pretty good point guard or a center. The latter of those two I think may have more value then anybody in the draft could.
(Adam throws a tomato at Jeff, waits a few moments, then throws another tomato at Jeff)
You’re just a Jimmer hater, which means you better watch your back, because he’s coming from you.
number 5- Height issues? He’s 6′2. He can play point guard for us. Jimmer is great with the ball, he is a great passer, and is very good at finding the open man. He’s not just a shooter. He’s a team player and would perform fine at the point guard position
number 4- “He doesn’t fill a need for the Jazz.” You’re hilarious. This one was so dumb that I was almost rolling on the floor laughing. CJ’s our only shooter and he is too inconsistent to rely on. 95% of our points nowadays come from down low by our big guys. We need another shooter or two on our team so badly its not even funny. I’m sure our new assistant head coach Jeff Hornacek would love a player that can do what he did. Remember, Jerry Sloan isn’t our head coach anymore and I’m sure Ty and Jeff are going to change things up a little bit during the offseason to help us adjust to the new style of play in the NBA these days which is shooting. That’s something Jimmer can do, if you haven’t noticed.
number 3- he’s not athletic? Sure he is. He’s an extremely skilled and talented athlete. I don’t know what more you want. For a small, white guy, he’s killer.
number 4- this is the same reason as number one. You added this one so you could have 5 points. Epic Fail.
number 5- Well, he’s not as horrible of a defender as some think, but you’re right. He’s not a great defender. However, there’s a lot of amazing players in this league that have helped their respective teams become elite that aren’t that great on defense. If you pass on Jimmer because of his defense, you’re going to be cursing yourself for a long, long time. He can manage.
Plus, like mentioned before by Patrick, this draft kinda sucks. And we have two lottery picks in that draft. When we are on the clock with our second pick which will be in the early teens, I don’t see any future all stars left on the board. None of the shooting guards that we could take with that second pick will be any better than a Ronnie Brewer type player. Yeah with our first pick I would rather see an Enes Kanter, Perry Jones, or Kyrie Irving type of player, but if Jimmer is still there with our second pick, I don’t see why not. He’d be the best player available at that point.
I was hoping Byu would lose today just so I wouldn’t have to hear anyone say the word “Jimmer” again for a few more months. It’s the dumbest name since “Boomer”, and hearing it is like someone scraping their nails on a chalkboard. Ugh! Also I learned today that “Jimmer” isn’t even his real name, it’s actually James. “Jimmer” was just a nickname his mother gave him when he was little, and it stuck with him through to adulthood. So aside from being a ridiculously terrible name, it’s also a childish nickname that most children outgrow before their teens, but for some reason he didn’t.
Now that I’m done with that irrelevant rant, I wouldn’t mind if the Jazz drafted him with their second pick. There are a couple others I might prefer over him, but he can shoot and score, and the Jazz need a shooter and scorer. The height and defense are a problem, but then again defense and almost every other facet of the game besides 3-point shooting was a problem with Korver and he still contributed. My only other concern is that sometimes the kid looks like he’s out of control, even if he does occasionally hit a turn around shot while falling backwards from 35 feet, while sipping a caffeine free diet Coke and wearing a blind fold. It will be a lot more difficult to get away with his almost reckless style of play on the pro level
I say draft him, with our second pick, if he’s still available. I dont pay much attention to college basketball, but this year i couldn’t help but start to get a little interested when i heard about a 6′2″ point guard from BYU that was leading the nation in scoring, and BYU was top 10 in the country. Im sure that about 25% of all this Jimmer-mania is just hype, and there are questions about his ability to transition into NBA style play, but I have a feeling about this guy. I think he is really going to take off in the NBA. He just needs a defensive minded coaching staff and team to get him to commit to playing defense. TACOREV was right about Korver, his defense made me want to reach my hands through the TV screen and strangle him, but much like CJ, when he heated up, it was a sight to see. Go Jimmer! And Go JAZZ!
Look man, Jeff, really, I’m getting tired of trying to convince even my own life long jazz fan family members, how ridiculous it would be not to draft him if he’s around when our Utah Jazz pick rolls around. But your post… just bears a response. I did not watch him a single game before March Madness, so I can’t be considered an absolute expert, I only know a couple things I’d like to point out. On bleacher report I saw something calling Jimmer a possible “next Steve Nash” which intrigued me, so I wikipedia’d steve nash so I could check out his college stats. Aside from assists and points (Nash beats Jimmer by 1.7 assists in a senior year comparison, Jimmer beats Nash by 11.6 points a game with 1.6 more minutes per game than Nash–turnover stats for Steve Nash were unavailable.) Their rebounds are almost identical, FG shooting Jimmer beat him by 2 percentage points overall, 3P Shooting Jimmer beat him by 5 percentage points roughly, FT Shooting within a percentage point (Nash edges him by .6) and Nash went to a huge division 1 school right so they can’t possibly be compared?? wrong, Nash went to Santa Clara… I would wikipedia Santa Clara… but i think you get my drift. Nash is an inch taller and 20 pounds lighter, hardly a defensive advantage, if you haven’t noticed, Jimmer is only 10 pounds lighter and just an inch shorter than D-Will who is one of the most imposing point guards size wise. My brother is an inch taller and around 40 pounds heavier than me but he can’t overpower me when I defend him, Deron guards shooting guards all the time and doesn’t get overpowered size wise, but does get screened out of just about every play (by the way, wikipedia Deron’s college stats just for fun, its much worse than the Nash/Jimmer comparison, Deron got a few more assists per game, with 16 or so less points than Jimmer, less steals, worse shooting in every way) and we all know how great of a defender Deron is…n’t. Watching Jimmer deal with the picks opposing teams set on him so far in the tourney, I think Jimmer may already be a better defender than D-Will. he’s certainly not any worse than D-Will was his rookie year or even now. Your description of Jimmer’s defense from draft express fits D-Will even more than it does Jimmer. I also think he has a better work ethic than D-Will. He’s also a much better passer than people give him credit for because he’s too busy scoring 30 points a game to showcase his assists, but if you’ve watched his tournament games you have seen some pretty awesome passes. He gets a few turnovers but so does every point guard who touches the ball as much as he does. He’s playing against double and triple teams out there and getting 30+ points every time. Nobody in the NBA gets that much attention every single possession, and Jimmer won’t either and will therefore continue to score consistently (and more consistently than CJ, Harris, …lol RAJA and WATSON, Gordon, Price) He would be a huuuuge boost to our backcourt scoring firepower, and fill a HUUUUGE void in 3 point shooting consistency while providing ball handling, passing, and average to mediocre defense, all (except 3 point shooting) much better than Korver. I have so many other points that I could make but I consider myself lucky if you’re still reading at this point. If you feel like discussing this further I would love to. if Jimmer’s available at 12-13-14-15 whenever our jazz pick is, you better go out and effing get him or I’ll freak out. If Harrison Barnes isn’t available with the Nets pick (projected at 6 right now), maybe you could trade down a couple spots to get Jimmer around 9 or 10, is he a worse prospect than Hayward was at 9 or filling a less glaring need? not hardly. You could take him at no.6 and I wouldn’t care but for those of you who won’t believe until he’s torching us for 40 every time we see him to show us how big of a mistake we made not drafting him, maybe you can trade down a couple slots, for cash or something decent. Bleacher report has one mock draft with us taking Barnes at 6 and Jimmer at 12…if that happens..wow what a great draft for us. But with Jimmer’s tourney performance I don’t think he’ll be there at 12. So you have to trade up or down with one of our picks. I think he’d be a perfect fit especially with our second pick, if by some miracle he’s available.
Fredette is the perfect player for……………….Europe
don’t let local hero hype overrule good basketball judgement. jimmer would be a total waste of a first round pick.
Like Larry N say, we need objectivity, not hype…..
So, as a Jazz Fan, i have some concerns, first i a Jazz fan and i don’t care of your BYU-Utes war, this is UtahJazz360 and only the Jazz matter…..
When you see the last 20 drafts, we all knows that the Jazz management is not at his first mistake, so they are totally able to take the little white local guy with our first pick (and don’t take this as an insult it’s a fact)
So first question for those who know him better than me :
- he’s a scoring machine, fact
- he’s a scoring machine in SCHOOL games, fact
- it’s not allways the best quality to succeed(just remember Morrison, Reddick, and for us, Quincy Lewis and Morris Allmond who where school killers but invisible in NBA)
What can be his impact in NBA ????
he have an impact in NCAA but with 20,5 shots by games, even more than Kobe (19,6), and we all know there is no way that an NBA coach can allow him to take 20 shot by game, so…….
Can he have an impact with less than 5 shots by game ?????
Second question, he’s a school killer, fact, under very little pressure, but can he be the same killer under reel pressure, against bigger players, fasters players, with one second less in every actions to take the good decision ???????
I really want to have these answers, for the good of the Jazz, and with objectivity, not as a blind fan
It dosen’t matter what everyone says. the Jazz brass will make the pick. Thurl Bailey says he would take him. He has you all beat on basketball knowledge. Every NBA team has made good and bad choices. All depends on what the ping pong balls do and who is on the board at the time.
To those unhappy with my post, answer this question for me honestly, and if your answer is still draft him, I’ll drop it:
If the Jazz drafted a 6′2″, white, unathletic, scoring machine from a school other than BYU, how would you feel about it? Say Jimmer played at Santa Clara like Nash? Or Gonzaga like Stock?
From what I’ve read, the guy has been ultra-competitive his whole life. That should separate his career from half-assed players like Morrison. That fire is what I liked the most about Deron. He really wanted to win, bad.
I can’t be serious about who Utah should draft, but in general I believe intangibles are pretty important. Guys that are highly motivated and competitive are a better bet to develop than the players who are just in it for the money and girls.
JMHO.
@jaron did I really see that right you were trying to compare a senior in college to a superstar in the nba ha ha ha its all fine and dandy to try and sell jazz fans on your buddy jimmer but when you start making ridiculous claims you lose the power of your argument
Unathletic? I hadnt seen Fredette play a game until the tournament, but the kid is out of control. I think hes one of the most athletic players in the tournament. He makes 3 after 3 from 5+ feet behind the line. He takes it to the hole like a beast. His ball handling skills are amazing. His passing is great, and his defense is not too great, but he can improve on defense. he honestly reminds me more of Derrick Rose, with a better 3 point shot.
I would say draft him!
I’m not a BYU fan, and I don’t bleed blue, but I think Fredette is a hell of a player, who will definitely carve out his own niche in the NBA. I agree that drafting him with the sixth or seventh pick might be a bit of a reach, but if we fail to make the playoffs, and get to keep our own pick at the end of the lottery, I would take a very serious look at him. He has a Kyle Korver type of ability to shoot the ball, and has impressed me more at the college level then J.J. Reddick, who has played pretty well in Orlando. He is a underrated passer.
I said objectivity, where is objectivity when you say he is Derrick Rose with a 3 pt shoot ?????!!!!!
I disagree with you in all point but one.
5#He’s a tweener. Yes his size is not the most desirable for one specific position but many positions vary in size and flourish. Poing guard vary from under 6 feet(J.J barea,Earl Boykins) to 6′0(Chris Paul) to 6′3 and over(Deron Williams) Chuck Hayes plays CENTER for the Rockets and is the size of a shooting guard/small forward and can out rebound most 7 footers.
4#Jimmer would FLOURISH with plays like the Harpring curl. The Jazz need consistent 3 point shooting as well and this kid can hit them with ease from the other end of the basket. Some may argue that his numbers are inflated like Rose because he takes 17-20 shots, but, you have to remember that Jimmer accounts for BYU lack of overall offense being responsible for 47% of it. He is forced to take those many shots and has a fairly high % from all range. The great thing about his shot, the higher degree of difficulty, it almost has a higher % of going in. he has adapted that way. Bringing him off the bench to set screens for some jump shots, or having him sit on the outside while Big Al is doubled in the paint is perfect.
#3: How can you say Jimmer isn’t athletic? Because he’s a 6′2 white pure shooter? He has an incredibly wide body and amazing speed coming off of stolen balls.
2#Kyle Korver was a small forward, this argument is irrelevant, we don’t need another small forward. We have Gordan Hayward, if AK DOESN’T resign, then I will be the first to say “Take Harrison Barnes”. If anything we should be looking at a Point Guard for the future like Brandon Knight, but, Brandon Knight will go fast. this is another argument to snatch Jimmer. Though a natural SG, he has been forced to play PG and could continue to do so. If it fails we are no worse off still having D-harris and another lottery pick next year.
#1 He is a terrible Defender, well, I won’t argue with you there but pure scorers usually are such as Melo and Kevin Martin.
The School he plays for is irrelevant. On my part I show no inclination towards him because he plays for BYU. I’m not even a fan. If he played for ZAG, UNC or anyother school. No matter where he went he would be getting just as much attention and be just as intriguing. He would still be a potential scorer the Jazz could use and I think alot of people in Utah would still be interested in him.
Colby,
Just a few things in response:
My question with his role in the offense is how well he will play without the ball in his hands 90% of the time. He could hit the Harpring curl consistently, no doubt, but could he run the cut to get open consistently?
Jimmer isn’t athletic or fast. He is crafty. That’s not the same thing. And, I’m not saying that because he’s white. Gordon Hayward is athletic, and he’s white.
In the Jazz system, there really is no difference between SG and SF. A wing is a wing is a wing in the flex. It just dictates whether they are on the strong side or the weakside. Korver played the 2 and the 3 for us, but it really didn’t matter.
1 more thing: Melo and Martin both can play defense well. They sometimes choose not to. I’m not sure that’s the case with Jimmer.
@Jeff
It’s a matter of how he adjusts to the system. BYU has never given him the chance to really cut to the basket. I think A system where he would have chances to cut he would surely thrive. It took Hayward a bit to learn it because he was kind of in the same position, he was used to carrying the team and not having the team help him.
You say Jimmer is “crafty” and I can’t agree more and in a system like the flex that is broken down so easily by a simple zone, crafty mixed with outside shooting is exactly what we need.
I would be happy if we drafted him with the second pick…
Anyone who thinks Jimmer won’t have a positive impact on his team thinks so because they hate BYU…
The kid can penetrate & shoot the lights out. He can spread the floor, he’s probably the best offensive threat in the draft, as well as the most one dimensional.
Believe me I’m not all goo goo for Jimmer, no one better kid themselves, he is a terrible defender, but I truly think thats a mental thing. I don’t think he sees the importance of it, he puts no effort in it. If he worked with a coaching staff that could get him to pressure the ball he might be fine.
Yes, he does need the ball a lot to score 30 points, but come on, he scores half of BYU’s points. He’s not going to lead the league in scoring in the NBA, he’s not going to get as many touches, but he will get open looks and he will hit them… if thats not a need for the Jazz then I don’t know what is.
He’s a project that really could be something great. I honestly don’t think he’ll be on the board when we take our second pick, but if he is, I think he’s a risk worth taking.
The Jazz need a true center, a great shooter, and a transcendent star player to win a title. That star may be on the roster now in Derrick Favors but the other two pieces now.
So tell me, if you don’t want Jimmer with the 2nd pick, who do you want… this draft class is not well stocked.
@Dave,
“Anyone who thinks Jimmer won’t have a positive impact on his team thinks so because they hate BYU…”
Absolutes like that aren’t helpful to the discussion. Jimmer is an enigma as a ball player, which makes him hard to judge for NBA worthiness. People, like me, who worry about how he’ll do at the next level aren’t doing it because of hatred for BYU. They are doing it because he has a ton of question marks floating around an amazing amount of talent.
@Colby,
Fair enough about how he adjusts. I think that’s where the question mark lies. He’s a risk, maybe one of the biggest risks in this year’s lottery.
I might add (and this could be another post entirely) that the flex should destroy a zone if it is run properly. I just don’t think that we as fans have seen it run properly too often this year.
Why is Kyrie Irving so projected to be an outstanding basketball player and Jimmer isn’t? Kyrie has been out over 2/3 of this season; I admit he has proven himself, but hasn’t Jimmer? Jimmer has shown he can take it to the rack. He has shown he can pass. He has shown that he can rebound. And he has obviously shown he can shoot! On defense, I’ll give it to ya, he doesn’t play much. But, there are a lot of players in the league who don’t play defense and they’re rolling in the millions.
Also Jeff, you have said some absolutes in your writing as well. Saying Jimmer isn’t fast or quick is preposterous. I’m not saying he can run the floor like Derrick Rose or anything, but he can penetrate and get around his defender just as good as some of the point guards in the NCAA and the NBA (just look at his last couple game highlights including the New Mexico game).
All this speculation on Jimmer is fruitless. We have NO idea how he will adjust to the NBA way of playing. He could do great, he could do terrible. Michael Redd was drafted in the second round, thought to be a decent bench player. He hurt the Jazz numerous times in his career. A little more close to home, Paul Millsap as well has had a great career. We could pass up someone special in Jimmer. He could be a deron williams in the making. We just don’t know. So let’s stop all the debate about it, because most of us have some good points, but it is worthless to make accusations based on our perspective of how a player will do in the NBA.
@ JAZZ KING I love people who attack other people’s fact based arguments when they don’t even read them right or apparently I didn’t state it clear enough (it was 5 in the morning in my defense) I WAS COMPARING JIMMER’S SENIOR YEAR TO NASH’S SENIOR YEAR IN COLLEGE, AND THEIR STATS ARE VERY SIMILAR EXCEPT JIMMER OUT SCORED HIM BY 11ppg AND NASH OUT ASSISTED HIM BY 1.6apg OR SOMETHING. THOSE ARE FACTS, I was not saying by any means that Jimmer will be better or is already better, I am not a moron, people booed Nash when he got drafted by Phoenix and he ended up being a 2 time mvp. so thanks for calling my “claim” ridiculous when it is fact based, and the only thing i did speculate or “claim” was that Jimmer’s defense is not any worse than D-Will’s. And yes, that is my opinion time will tell if he can defend in the NBA. and finally JEFF, where are you getting “unathletic” from? really? I see no evidence in your posts or in the games i’ve seen to call him “unathletic” He is a master at creating his own shot or creating shots for his teammates when 3 guys collapse on him. In response to your “if we were going to draft a 6′2 unathletic white guy from Santa Clara like Nash or Stock from Gonzaga” first of all how did those unpopular picks work out for the suns and the jazz?? I’m not a byu fan, I pick players I think are great and I follow them in college. If the jazz could get the top scorer and a in the NCAA tournament and the season,a winner through adversity, a great ball handler with a fire lit underneath him, especially with their second pick, I would be thrilled.
@Jeff
What I was eluding to was the people who simply think Jimmer cannot compete at the NBA level, which is what your post mostly infers… Yes you said he could flourish in a “fun & gun” system, but what shooter wouldn’t? Forgive me if I’m wrong but the big point I took from your post was that his size would not allow him to be anything special in the league. I seem to recall a 6′1″ guard who didn’t have anywhere near the kind of college career that Jimmer has… his number hangs in our rafters now.
Listen, you have a lot of valid points about Jimmer, he’s the farthest thing from a sure thing there could be… but, to pass on a player with the offensive game he has, with 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th pick in this particular draft you would have to be “absolute”ly nuts.
Just out of curiosity, you much of BYU fan?
Would be nice to have the rest of the nba have to respect our 3’s. CJ is too streaky to be considered a threat and a crappy defender as well. It would definatley make teams think twice about the double team on the ‘bigs’
@Adam,
Saying Jimmer isn’t athletic isn’t an absolute, it’s an opinion based on observation. He is crafty and has a high basketball IQ along with a fantastic step-back jumper. That doesn’t mean he’s athletic. He’s not going to throw down a dunk in someone’s face because they looked at him wrong. That’s what athletes do. Jimmer would hit a 35 footer in the guy’s face instead. That’s what he does.
@Jaron,
Here’s your evidence: Name a guy under 6′9″ on the Jazz team that Jimmer would hands down beat in a race…
AK? Nope.
CJ? Nope.
Watson, Harris, or Price? Nope, nope, nope.
Raja Bell? Maybe, but he’s not athletic either.
Evans? Nope.
Hayward? Nope.
Just because he’s not athletic doesn’t mean he won’t make it in the league, but the Jazz need athletes, and he’s not one.
@Dave,
Maybe you’re right. He might be that diamond in the rough like Stockton or Nash that’s not a popular draft pick but makes it big, but he might not be. He’s a risk. We can agree on that, right?
@Dave,
I forgot to answer this one. In the interest of full disclosure, no I’m not a BYU fan. However, I’m not a BYU “hater” either. Unless they play the U, I will root for them most of the time, and to be honest, Jimmer is hard not to root for.
I agree Jimmer is not hard to root for, but I see other players who you can get excited for who would benefit us more. If they are gone draft the kid.
One thing to remember for you Jimmer die hards though. He is a senior, playing against a lot younger players.. Give many of the other kids 3 more yrs to develope and see if you would pick Jimmer over them? The kid is talented, but there are younger talented players, who will be even more talented at his age… Will they shoot as many College points, probably not since they will already be in the NBA by that time… Just something to think about..
@ Jeff
He’s a total risk, but with his particular skill set I’m trying to say he’s a good gamble. Im not a BYU fan either… but your absolutely right, it’s fun to cheer for Jimmer, he seems like really great kid.
but is he or is not worthy of a 10th-ish overall pick in this particular draft?
@ Jeff
He’s a total risk, but with his particular skill set I’m trying to say he’s a good gamble. Im not a BYU fan either… but you’re absolutely right, it’s fun to cheer for Jimmer, he seems like a really great kid.
but is he or is he not worthy of a 10th-ish overall pick in this particular draft?
You guys all worry about size too much. Yes I’d rather he have 5 more inchs but thats not going to happen.
Muggsy Bogues, 5′3″ the shortest player ever to play in the nba, played 14 seasons. drafted 12th in the 1987 NBA draft. Hell on widipedia it even says he had 39 career blocks including one on Patrick Ewing.
Spud Webb 5′6″ played 13 years, shortest person to compete and win in the slam dunk contest where he beat out Dominigue Wilkins.
Nate Robinson 5′9″ been playing 6 years now and still going. NBA’s first 3 time slam dunk champion.
Now I know, slam dunk contest is not a measure of how great a player is. I also know that I wouldnt build a team around any of these guys, but they are much shorter and have done amazing things. Had long careers, they kept getting contracts so someone wanted their talent. Jimmer is taller and bigger then all 3 of them. Jimmer doesn’t need to score 30 a night for an NBA team like he does BYU, Since he wont be playing 40 minutes a game, 15+ points a game would be perfect. Anyone that thinks he can’t score that is a fool.
Who mentioned Reddick? I’d sign that guy in a heartbeat, did he meet expectations in the NBA as some thought he would? No. Has he burned teams and single handedly won games for Orlando? Yes.
I would not even consider Jimmer for Utah’s first pick, but if hes there for the 2nd, you would be insane not to draft him. Even if you didn’t want him, you could probably trade him to someone that did.
and really, who cares if he is called Jimmer. Now that is just being a hater. It’s not your name so why would you care so much? It’s better then Muggsy, Spud, Gordon ( who names their kids that nowadays anyways?) CJ? your just two letters?
Everyone tries to give All star players nicknames, D-will, CP3, Durantuala, King James, The Black Mamba… Jimmer is fine.
And last but not least, if you don’t think hes athletic, you need to take the beer goggles off. He is just as athletic as many others, it’s not as refined as the super athletes but he definitly has it.
I agree with your assessment of Jimmer Fredette. Let someone else take the obvious risk… Morris Almond comes to mind here. I’m hoping the Jazz will find a way to draft Perry Jones. Athletic bigs with his skills/upside are difficult to find. I do hope that we get lucky in the lottery game of chance or make our luck if necessary via trade.
Perry Jones? And what sit him on the bench behind Favors.. We need 3 point shooting and perimeter defense. If Williams is available there you go. Barnes comes to mind as someone we could use.
As far as Jimmer goes, is he the best available when we pick even our second pick? There are others who may do better. Burks, Leonard, Knight, Honeycutt, Walker, Hamilton are all solid players who could help the team with the perimeter and depth.. You guys forget when comparing this kid, that he has 3 yrs on most of the guys you compare him too. Give most of the guys I listed till their senior year and see where they are, and they play defense.. Some of these kids fill up the stat sheets, one is exciting to watch like AK was when we first saw his All Star play.. Knight is putting up Jimmers sophmore numbers as a freshman, and plays defense.. Open your eyes. I am not against Jimmer, just think we should make sure he is best available for our needs, rather than draft someone because he can score. I agree with the Morris Almond comparison here. Almond shot lights out at college and where is he today?
We have Elson, Favors, Jefferson, AK, Millsap, and Okur playing the 4-5, Evans is more of a 4 then a 3 once he puts the weight on that he needs.
Notice I didn’t include Fez as I hope and don’t think hes coming back, I don’t know how I feel about Elson yet.
Why draft a big guy when you already have talent sitting on the bench or not getting enough minutes? If you find a good center then fine draft him, but the Jazz are full on PF’s. SG is without a doubt our biggest need. Someone that can tranistion to SF would be nice, but we have to get outside shooting. Look how Al and Paul can dominate games, even Favors is doing pretty good. Now put viable 3 point threats that spread the floor that much more.
What good is a lot of big guys with big upsides if half of them never get any minutes?
As we know, Memo Okur is struggling with his frustrating rehabilitation… it’s possible that he may not be physically capable of coming back at all! His achilles injury was serious/componded by back problems – could end his career.
If the Jazz are lucky enough to land a player like Perry Jones, he’ll see plenty of playing time with Al Jefferson, Derrick Favors, Paul Millsap/Jeremy Evans, players, I happen to like very much!
Athletic bigs like Perry Jones are invaluable. I can’t emphasize enough that our 2 position will be filled by C.J. Miles/Gorden Hayward next year; therefore, the Jazz will not draft a SG… it’s foolish of them to do so. Raja Bell had a disappointing season/may be moved.
Unless Jeramy Evans bulks up considerably, he will likely transition to the SF position/instructed by the Jazz organization to work on his ball handling skills/outside shooting this summer. If the Jazz can draft Perry Jones, Paul Millsap could play more SF next year with Evans/ Hayward as backups. AK is an unrestricted free agent who can sign elsewhere, so we don’t really have him, do we? Fes is an unrestricted free agent who has not been handled properly/will likely move on. Elson has a one year deal that ends this season. He is an injury prone, older player past his prime.
So, how many bigs do we really have under contract for next year who are physically able to perform? Well, lets see, Al Jefferson, Derrick Favors, Paul Millsap/Jeremy Evans, hardly enough to start/gut through a grueling NBA season.
Priority one for the Utah Jazz in the 2011 NBA Draft is the acquisition of a quality, athletic big man/secondly, a promising, young point guard who can be developed. Jimmer Fredette is not that man. He is a tweener who has no defense game what so ever/definitely not worth a first round pick… mid to late second round is a reasonable risk.