Though his NBA career never materialized, BYU legend and former New York Knicks guard Jimmer Fredette is tearing it up in China.
Former New York Knicks becoming stars in the Chinese Basketball Association seems to have become a norm. First, there is Stephon Marbury, who plays for the Beijing Ducks. Marbury is such a star in China they built a statue of him.Now we are seeing another former Knickerbocker in Jimmer Fredette becoming a legend in the CBA.
Last season Fredette spent most part of the 2015 in the NBA D-League with the Winchester Knicks. He was actually an All-Star.
In February of 2015, Fredette was signed to a 10-day contract by the Knicks. Their season was in the dumps, which was shocking they never gave Fredette a chance. They released him after that 10 days.
This season he is playing for the Shanghai Sharks. Fredette is lighting up the scoreboard. He is averaging 37 points per game, which leads the league. On November 11, he dropped 51-points in a game.
Scoring is not all he is doing. This is the special thing here. He is adding eight rebounds per contest, an impressive feat from a guy that is only 6-foot-2.
Yes, the CBA is no NBA, but the numbers he’s putting up is still awfully impressive. Perhaps his strong season will probably provide him another chance in the NBA.
Fredette was never given a fair opportunity in the league, especially with the New York Knicks. The knock on him is he can’t play defense. Well, right now nobody on the Knicks plays defense he could fit right in.
But seriously, he never was given consistent playing time to grow as a player. His ability to shoot the basketball in a game that is now about three-pointers, certainly someone in the NBA could use his service.
In the CBA, the playoffs begin in February. After that, NBA teams could sign Fredette. It will be interesting to see if there will be any takers.
