There is nothing in our sport that is more annoying than simple and stupefying comparisons of one white player to another white player from the past. Nothing. It's lazy, it's demeaning to the players on both sides of that poorly drawn line, and if you're a writer and/or analyst, it's insulting to the people who are there to glean your insight.But with Jimmer Fredette and Adam Morrison? I kind of get it.
Don't let me lose you. These two, down to hairstyles or lifestyles, appear far, far apart. To say nothing of the fact that Morrison is a legit 6-8 and a half, with broad (when they aren't slumping) shoulders to match, and Jimmer's frame resembles Jimmer's name: "Hey, Jimmer!"
In my limited perusals of both, though? One thing seemed a constant. They both seemed quite adept at nailing tough, contested shots on the NCAA level. Shots with a hand in their face or a hand reaching up to nearly block the ball. And that would be a warming note, if it didn't seem as if most of their attempts went this way. It's one thing to have the occasional tough make. It's another thing to rely on it. That's what I took from Adam Morrison.
It's not what I'm taking from Fredette, who I believe can be a very serviceable player in this league if he continues this rate of growth. With that in place, though, I can get why some Charlotte Bobcat fans, to say nothing of the front office that drafted Morrison into Charlotte in 2006, are gun-shy about taking Fredette with the team's 19th pick (or even their ninth selection, I suppose, because apparently I underrate the guy) in Thursday's draft. The Charlotte Observer's Scott Fowler takes it from there:
Morrison has since washed out of the NBA entirely - his confidence shot, his defensive liabilities exposed. I can't imagine that Jordan, now the Bobcats owner, would want to take a player in Fredette who seems to have a similar skill set but is six inches shorter.
I don't think Fredette will turn into Morrison, since he's more grounded and a far better ballhandler. But he's not going to be a great NBA player, either. To compare him to a couple of other recent big-time college scorers, I think Fredette's NBA career will end up more like J.J. Redick(notes) than Stephen Curry(notes).
(Geez, another white guy. One that, at Duke, got to the line and drove to the hoop so, so many more times than Fredette did. Will this ever end? Can't we just come up with other names, even if the white ones are accurate?)
I understand Jordan's trepidation, Fowler's trepidation, and that fan base's worry. But if you can get a shooter at 19? In a terrible draft? And your team is terrible at shooting? What's the wait? Because you don't want to answer lame questions for a few months?
Perhaps I'm overrating him, now. I never claimed to even be competent when it comes to NCAA scouting, but it also appears as if this guy can contribute to a rotation. And if he's in the Green Room at 19, what's the point? Sacrifice spacing in the second quarter in order to prevent a few tired storylines?
Jimmer should just show up with a mustache on Thursday. Seal it for all of us. via Ball Don't Lie
