Look, I’m not going to sugarcoat this. 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.
Carlos Boozer was a really good NBA player. People will scoff at this, but I’m talking Utah, prime Boozer. He was a monster on the glass, could score in a variety of ways, was a willing defender, a good teammate and physical. Boozer was a good NBA player. That was seven years ago.
But here we go again, as playoff teams desperate for some sort of extra kick continue to look at these two, who have been playing in China, as possible late-season additions, via ESPN’s Marc Stein:
Jimmer Fredette, fresh off an MVP season with the Yao Ming-owned Shanghai Sharks, is back in the United States and eagerly awaiting the phone call that affords him another NBA shot.
Carlos Boozer, meanwhile, remains in China but has also played his way back onto the NBA’s radar, having helped the Guangdong Southern Tigers, along with veteran guard Donald Sloan, advance to within one game of the Chinese Basketball Association finals.
Sure. Why not? Well, there are lots of reasons why not. Boozer is 35, and has had multiple injuries that have sapped his athleticism. He’s a veteran, though, so at least that one I can understand. Boozer has been on teams that went to conference finals. He’s honestly kind of underrated in retrospect. He’s not going to help a team in the playoffs, but he can be a guy you break glass in case of emergencies for. Stein reports the Heat and Clippers are interested in taking a flyer on him.
Jimmer, though? Guys, he’s 28. We’ve been on this for six years. It’s time to let the ghost go. He’s a great shooter and could go down as one of the best players to ever play in China. But there is no plausible scenario where he sees time in a series, much less makes an impact.
Fredette’s college career was special. He was a precursor to the shooters we now see populate the NBA, along with Stephen Curry two years before him. He was an experience to behold at BYU. He is not, nor has he ever been, a rotation NBA player. That doesn’t mean he should quit. Fredette has a dream, and he continues to pursue it, and that’s awesome. He makes a good living doing something he’s better at than 99 percent of the planet, and that’s also awesome. He’s someone worth rooting for.
But NBA teams should stop considering him as a legitimate target for acquisition. Look to the D-League. Look to younger players.
The Jimmer Dream should be over.
