Fansided

Now playing across China: The Jimmer Fredette Show

By Jack Maloney

Jan 18, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New Orleans Pelicans guard Jimmer Fredette (32) celebrates as a time-out is called against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Pelicans beat the Raptors 95-93. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 18, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New Orleans Pelicans guard Jimmer Fredette (32) celebrates as a time-out is called against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Pelicans beat the Raptors 95-93. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Six years ago as a senior at BYU, Jimmer Fredette captivated millions with his brilliant scoring performances. Now, an ocean and a continent away he’s doing it again.

After a half-decade bouncing between the NBA and the NBA Development League, Fredette decided this summer to make the leap to overseas ball, signing with Yao Ming’s Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. Though starting this season in the D-League again would have offered a more direct route back to the NBA, it’s easy to see why Fredette left.

For one, there’s the money. ESPN sources put the deal “north of $1 million” which according to my calculations is an upgrade over the five-figure salary the D-League would have provided, and more money is always cool and good. And then there’s the fact that the CBA’s regular season ends in February, which means that it’s still possible for Jimmer to latch on with an NBA team at the end of the regular season if they like what they see in China.

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Perhaps most importantly, however, is the freedom Jimmer has in China to just go out and get buckets, which is what he was born to do. There’s no pressure now for Jimmer to show teams he can manage the game and direct an offense, no pressure to try and fit his game into a system. In China, Jimmer is the system.

Save for the giant inflatable shark hanging from the ceiling in Shanghai’s arena, you might think you were watching old BYU highlights if you tune to see Jimmer in action these days. He’s flying around endless screens–both off the ball and in the pick-and-roll; he’s pulling up from five feet behind the arc and sinking demoralizing triples; he’s slicing in and out of the paint to make plays for himself and teammates; he’s grabbing defensive rebounds and pushing the ball up the floor for easy transition buckets; in short, he’s doing it all.

Through 11 games, Jimmer has led the Shanghai Sharks to a league-best 10-1 record while also leading the league in scoring at 39.4 points, and doing it on 56.0/41.6/91.3 splits. In addition, he’s averaging 8.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.5 steals a night. In CBA play Jimmer has three 40-point nights to go with a 51-point performance, and during the Merlion Cup, a preseason club tournament held in Singapore, he lead the team to the title by dropping 43 in the final –highlighted by three game winning free throws with no time remaining.

The “Jimmer Show” is officially back. And this run is as good as ever.

Mix In My Mind: Jimmer Fredette x “Jiang Jiu Zhege Beat” by Melo of Tiandi Clan

Special thanks to YouTube channel JimmerWatch for providing highlights of his games with the Sharks which were used to make this mixtape.

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