Jimmer Fredette entered the NBA with a sizable amount of hype when he was the No. 10 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft out of BYU. Fredette took college basketball by storm with his scoring binges and outside shooting displays, and the Sacramento Kings were hoping the guard could help change their fortunes.
Unfortunately, Fredette didn't pan out. After moving on from the Kings, Jimmer bounced around for a few years before heading over to China, where he has lit up the scoreboard in the CBA since 2016.
Fredette is currently torching the nets back in the United States in The Basketball Tournament. He's leading the tournament in scoring at 32.8 points per game, and he's wowing fans and teammates alike with his exploits. That includes former Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz big man Jack Cooley, who has had the pleasure of playing with Jimmer.
Cooley says playing with Fredette has been “unbelievable,” and the big man is insistent that Jimmer should be back in the NBA, according to Jody Genessy of the Deseret News.
“There’s no way there’s 300 people better than him in basketball. No way,” Cooley said. “I absolutely think he should be in the NBA. … I don’t think there’s a team that has 15 guys better than him. I don’t see it.”
Fredette last played in the NBA in the 2015-16 season, but he only played six games total between the New York Knicks and New Orleans Pelicans. He has been scoring around 36 points per game in China, though, and it's surprising that an NBA team hasn't given him another shot given how important 3-point shooting is in today's game. Even if the 29-year-old didn't pan out, and there's a good chance he wouldn't because of his other flaws, it could be worth a shot, even if it's just to bring a bit more fan excitement.
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