NBA: Why Didn’t Jimmer Fredette Develop Into The Next Stephen Curry?

With somewhat similar games at the college level, why didn’t Jimmer Fredette develop into the next Stephen Curry in the NBA?

Although he put on a show at Davidson, Stephen Curry was overlooked by scouts and selected only 7th overall in the 2009 NBA draft. About two years later, Jimmer Fredette arguably put on an even bigger show in college and was also overlooked by scouts, sliding to 10th in the 2011 NBA draft.

But despite the similarities, their professional career paths could not be more divergent. Why is Steph going to go down as one of the greatest NBA players of all-time while Jimmer can barely make an NBA roster?

Compare these per game averages during their last years in college.

At first glance, it is clear that they had remarkably similar offensive averages; both were efficient scorers and deadly shooters. One obvious difference is in the non-scoring stats, as Curry had an advantage in rebounds, assists, and steals. But why did Curry’s offensive game translate to the NBA, while Jimmer’s failed?

Versatility matters a great deal in the NBA. Both college superstars were forced to take on lesser roles upon entering the big league but only one was capable of handling the adversity. Many will point to heart and intrinsic factors as the sources of their varying levels of success. But when studying the nuances of their college experiences, it seems that the disparity can largely be attributed to circumstance rather than a discrepancy in character.

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Both players had the same knocks coming out of college: a lack of strength, athleticism, toughness, etc. The main reason they were drafted was because of a smooth offensive skill set and lights-out shooting. There is always room for a shooter in the NBA so long as he can hide his weaknesses and stay on the floor.

Why did Steph manage to earn 36 minutes per game as a rookie, while Jimmer struggled to stay on the floor and scraped together only 18 minutes per game? This discrepancy can be traced to their childhood backgrounds and style of play in college.

Stephen Curry was fortunate enough to be the son of former NBA player Dell Curry, a three-point specialist who spent his career as a role player primarily with the Charlotte Hornets. As a father, Dell instilled fundamental basketball instincts and a sense of professionalism in his son, even bringing him to some games and practices.

Curry had the privilege of being exposed to the highest-level basketball in the world in the nascence of his hoops career. And as a career role player, Dell taught Steph to value the traits that kept even a second-rate talent employed in the NBA: versatility, professionalism, sacrifice, and mental toughness.

Jimmer did not grow up in a basketball family and he did not have a father in the NBA. He probably played just as much basketball as Steph and was arguably just as skilled coming out of college, yet he didn’t have the instinct that comes with carefully cultivated mental preparation.

For the Fredette family, the NBA was a dream, a vast unknown that was to be reached by any means necessary; for the Curry family, the NBA was an attainable goal that was to be reached by a specific set of guidelines. These differences in perspective, developed in childhood, gave Curry an advantage that was almost indistinguishable on a college court but glaringly obvious in the NBA.

Curry was ready to embrace any role his coach asked of him, whereas Jimmer struggled in a supportive role off the ball.

They had gaudy, similar stats during their last year in college, but poured on points in subtly different ways. BYU and Davidson ran drastically different offenses during their peak Jimmer and Curry years. BYU’s offense consisted of Jimmer constantly creating with the ball in his hands, pulling up from anywhere and making things happen with the occasional ball screen.

Meanwhile, Curry’s points were obtained by carefully crafted offensive sets that consisted of multiple off-ball picks, back-cuts, and work off the elbows in addition to live ball screens. By the time he reached the NBA, Curry knew the nuances of a complicated, NBA-level offense and was accustomed to working both off and on the ball.

When Jimmer returned to BYU for his final year, he played as a ball-dominant shooting guard with the freedom to unleash anything in his offensive repertoire. Curry returned to school his final year for one reason; he wanted to develop as a point guard because he knew that would be his position in the NBA. This decision exemplifies Steph’s incredible foresight, patience, and sacrifice, which played a huge role in his success as a professional player.

Curry chose to push his comfort zone with his mind on the future, whereas Jimmer narrowed his comfort zone with his heart in the present.