So what you're saying is... Jay Bilas might dust off his old, "he can't guard the chair I'm sitting in..." line?
The best part of that entire rant was when Bilas went on to say "YOU DRAFTED LUKE RIDNOUR WHEN REECE GAINES IS STILL AVAILABLE??!!??!!" Hey though, Gaines did get some run in the D-League last year, where he put up a PER of 14!
Anyhoo, about Fredette, if he wasn't a white Mormon, I think people might be comparing him to an Eric Gordon with a better handle, but with less athleticism. If he tests well at the NBA Combine, I think he'll go in the lottery. The guy is a natural scorer, and he can get to the rim, at least in college.
Much less athleticism. Gordon is a tremendous athlete while Fredette would be way below average for the NBA. While athleticism is far from everything, it's a big deal in terms of translating skills from college to the NBA. The average NBA player is an order of magnitude higher in athleticism than the average college player, so with poor athleticism, it's much, much harder to get your shot off, drive past your man (either to attack the hoop or create for others) or stay in front of your man on defense. It impacts everything. So I would say the far worse athleticism makes him completely unlike Gordon. A better handle doesn't make up for it when you can't get past a defender.
Fredette is going to be 22 in February, while Gordon turned 20 his rookie year in the NBA. Those three years make quite a difference. Ed O.
Ummm ... no. I'm no great fan of Kemba, but he's at least got NBA level quickness. Fredette may be more skilled and a more 'electric' college player, but I would give Kemba a slight edge in being able to translate his particular skill-set to the next level. Having said that I think both are likely to struggle at the next level.
I get it. But it's worth noting that Babbitt didn't measure out as a bad athlete, as I recall. Not an elite one or anything, but not below average for an NBA player.
Two words. J.J. Redick. Remember him at Duke? He put up gaudy offensive numbers playing against the best collegiate competition, and he's 6'4" (Jimmer plays a soft schedule and he's 6'2"). Redick had no problem getting a shot off, or getting to the rack in the NCAA. Fast forward to Reddick's 5th year and the league, and he's finally found a niche, as a 3 point specialist off the bench. He's averaging a career high 10 ppg (good for him). He averages 7 shots a game, and 4 of them are 3s. That's all he can do at this level. Nothing wrong with being a REALLY good college player that won't be in The League, but (just sayin') that's what Jimmer is.
I'm not saying that Fredette will be better than Reddick. But, Reddick didn't have the ability to put the ball on the floor and get to the hoop like Fredette does.
Yeah, for as good of a shooter as he is, Fredette gets to the rim. Reddick basically played the same game at Duke that he now plays in the NBA, at least in terms of being a shooter. The difference is that J.J. isn't good enough to have plays fun for him, like a Rip Hamilton or Reggie Miller, so all that is left is the 3 point shot. The same thing happened to Adam Morrison, except he isn't even close to being the shooter that Reddick is. Charlotte tried to run their offense through Ammo his rookie season, and he just didn't have the game to justify him being a primary option. Fredette isn't similar to either of those players, mainly because he has a much better handle than them. He won't dominate at the professional level either, though, IMO.
Uh...JJ Redick has turned into a pretty good player..... Solid rotational player with a key NBA ability...shooting....
13.1 PER according to basketball reference. In fact his best ever PER was 15.0, which is exactly the league average. I don't want my first round pick being below average for his career.
JJ Redick was the College Player of the Year (edging out Ammo Morrison). Now, he's a rotational player who fills a role. I think that's what people are trying to point out about Redick; that his elite college game didn't translate to an elite NBA game.
PER doesn't mean shit to me MM... I don't know what you are expecting out of a mid\late 1st round pick...a fucking miracle? Far and few between.... A solid rotational player with a definable NBA skill...and quite frankly a skill (shooting) that this team is SORELY lacking...would be welcome.... Really, We already know that Fredette is worse than Mills or Johnson? I don't think so... I don't know if they should draft him or not, but as mid\late 1st, I would certainly think he would be worth taking a long look at...and POR had him scheduled for a workout before he pulle dout of last year's draft, so there likely is some interest there.....
That is not true. Their games are extremely similar. JJ played a much different game than he does now. He handled the ball quite a bit and created a lot of his own shots off the dribble. He could also penetrate and get in the lane/to the basket . . . in college. He wasn't just a shooter. Watch the JJ highlights below vs the Jimmer vs San Diego State last week and tell me their games don't look alike. FYI - skip to 1:30 or so on Redick's highlights. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0Yb9EgSC8o&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxC3dmJSqrc
