Jimmer Fredette thought the Spurs might be the one place his skill set would finally find a righteous home. (Hey, lots of players have hopes the Spurs will accept them into the Popovich fold.) But it wasn’t to be: despite all the summer workouts Fredette put in with former All-Star Chauncey Billups, the Spurs said sayonara to the former BYU star. Fredette’s long-range mastery never transitioned to the NBA.
Many great college players fail to have a major impact at the next level, but Fredette is a great cautionary tale. The 6’2″ consensus NCAA Player of the Year in 2011 was drafted by the Sacramento Kings with the 10th pick in the draft. He was drafted before Klay Thompson, a key factor in the Golden State Warriors 2015 NBA championship run, and before Kawhi Leonard, the Finals MVP for the Spurs’ title in 2014.
