2011 NBA Draft: Jimmer may be headed for Utah Jazz, many say

So why not try his luck in the often-fickle NBA? 

Starting with the Draft next month, “The Jimmer” casts himself into not only a reality show (which begins production soon and will continue on up to the Draft itself), but a world where he has no real idea where he’s headed. 

Predicting what NBA city and team Jimmer will go to in late June is a lot like deciding which award he won was best; everyone has their opinions and it all invariably leads to a debate. 

Some local experts feel Jimmer is a shoo-in as a lottery pick, primarily because the Utah Jazz, the team that plays in the same state where Jimmer laced up for BYU, has two picks between Nos. 1 and 14. 

In the past 20 years, there haven’t been any local players who were actually selected by the Jazz in the first round. 

In fact, the Jazz have never had two picks sandwiched between one and 14 in any year in club history, so if current draft status holds, the Jazz will be entering uncharted territory...possibly on three occasions, if they select Jimmer. 

 

 

That said, selecting Fredette would fill one thing the Jazz need, and that’s a sharpshooter. Since Kyle Korver left all the Utah girls brokenhearted when he moved to Chicago, Utah hasn’t had a solid three-point shooter. (Sorry, Raja.) 

And, the single ladies haven’t had somebody to swoon over since; somebody who meets all of Daddy Dearest’s major criteria when it comes to picking the right man. 

Enter Jimmer; hope his girl’s not too mad. 

 

 

If Jimmer is actually available by the time the Jazz pick, and it’s literally, and figuratively, a crap shoot determining exactly where he’s going to be selected, then it does make sense for the Jazz to take the decaffeinated Nestea plunge and go for the gusto. 

Jimmer hasn’t met a shot from a parking lot he didn’t like, let alone a basketball court. 

Of course, looking down the list, you could say the same thing about Minnesota, Toronto, Washington and so on, and that’s why they’re in the lottery, in the first place. 

The other reason those four teams are in the lottery is their defense, another quality Jimmer hasn’t placed much of his career on. 

In the “real world,” and not the MTV show, most experts have Jimmer pegged to have his name called between Nos. 15 to 20 overall, with some even leaning toward picks 10 to 15, so long as Utah, the Clippers, Golden State and Phoenix, have a say. 

 

 

The other possibility is seeing Jimmer freefall out of the first round; it’s just that it doesn’t happen often to POY’s for some reason. 

The other thing that doesn’t happen often with POY’s is a Michael Jordan-esque career. So for Jimmer, he might be headed for an average type NBA career, averaging about 15 points per game, about 15 off the scoring mark he set per contest at BYU. 

Then again, that’s what makes this year’s NBA Draft so enjoyable for Jimmer fans and for BYU fans alike, the possibility, however minute, that Jimmer will silence all doubters and become the rock star everyone hopes he will be, in a Utah Jazz uniform.