If Jimmer was Jimmy, he would be a selfish shot jacker or a shoot first PG who does not defend that nobody would want to draft in the first round let alone the lottery.
Stop comparing him to Reddick. Reddick is a 6'6 shooting guard. Reddick did not play point guard like Jimmer did at BYU. I remember when Steph Currey came out people thought hed be just like JJ. Seems like no matter what every elite college basketball shooter is compared to JJ. But back to Jimmer, at worst he's a Jason Terry. and we know how important that can be for a team.
Jimmer is absolutely not a one dimensional player, at least not on offense. He is very creative with the ball, can get to the basket and finish (via layups of course). He also has the ability to absolutely deflate an opponent with unbelievable range. His shot comes out quick and he can stop on a dime. Those are skills that translate to lots and lots of baskets even at the NBA level. Defensively, he is a big question-mark. BYU asked him to stay out of foul trouble and preserve his energy, but he did read the passing lanes well and comes up with steals. Who knows what he can do when he is not the focal point having to carry 90% of the load. He has as much potential to be a superstar as anyone in this draft (that's really not saying alot, but it is what it is).
In terms of philosophy on this issue of potential vs likely-to-be-better-player, I'd have to side with GATER here. This draft sucks, so the opportunity cost for taking a risk is lower. The new CBA will likely shorten rookie guaranteed money rather than lengthening them, so the financial risk is less. No matter how you look at it, this is the perfect "roll the dice" draft. But in reality, there are no such cut-and-dry opposing scenarios. For example with this thread, I'd definitely take Jimmer at 14th if we can't move up. I think his ceiling, while not super-high, is enough that you can't just see him as the next Steve Kerr or something. So then you have a comparison between a "low-floor, mid-to-good-ceiling" vs "the next Thabeet". And I'd pass on the big man that can't walk and chew gum at the same time.
Jimmer is one of the top 10 players in this draft and will have one of the ten best careers of all the players in this draft. Now, if you say that doesn't amount to much......then you have to say that we should trade out of #14 and #23 to either a future draft or trade up in the top 3-4 picks.
And now Ladies and Gentleman I give you TJ Fredette <iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6F_V3W-e57s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Switchin up the game on 'em.:grin: Nice.
I really like the Mark Price and Jason Terry comparisons. Having instant offense off the bench is extremely valuable and something we're missing. I would support a Jimmer selection because he has an NBA talent (scoring), which guarantees that he'll be a contributor at the very least.