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Jimmer Fredette isn’t listening anymore.

The critics who deride the BYU legend for his defense and athleticism; the Cougar faithful who’ve anointed him as their golden boy—Fredette is tuning them all out as he prepares for June’s NBA Draft.

"That’s what you have to do," the combo guard said at Thursday’s pre-draft combine in Chicago. "You can’t let it get to your head. You can’t even listen to the positive things, and get too big headed. You’ve got to just drown it all out and just focus on yourself and focus on what you need to work on and how you need to get better.

"I dealt with [criticism] my whole life," he continued. "That’s not a big change for me. That’s something that comes with the territory so I’m just looking forward to going out there and hopefully proving people wrong again."

And that’s exactly what Chicago is all about for these NBA hopefuls. What Fredette understands is that this is an opportunity to dictate the conversation.

Over the past year two distinct camps have formed on the topic of Fredette. There’s those that believe his 28.9 PPG average and 39.6% mark from 3-point range are good indicators he’ll be able to score in the NBA; while others point to his height (6-2), preference for shooting over passing, defensive skills and athleticism as reasons why he isn’t lottery pick material. The irony is that the two unflinchingly rigid positions developed without much supporting evidence. After all, even when the Cougars did play on national television, East Coast audiences were likely getting ready for bed.

So that’s why Chicago is so important to Fredette. He can take a perception about his game—for instance, some question his ability to defend the pick and roll—and address it both on the court and in the media.

"I went through everything," Fredette said, when asked if he’s choosing to do all of the drills. "I have confidence in my ability to play. I wanted to show them. I mean a lot of people knew about me. I don’t know how many actually saw me. We didn’t have a lot of games on TV, so unless they saw it in person, they probably didn’t see a whole lot. So I just wanted to show them that I’m a little more athletic than they think, can play defense, shoot the ball well, obviously, I think they know that."

As for his pick-and-roll defense, Fredette looks forward to addressing those concerns specifically over the next few days.

"It depends on the team and the personnel, the person that you’re playing, you’ll have to play it differently," he said. "Sometimes you’ll jump over the screen and funnel the ball to the big guy. Sometimes they hedge. Sometimes you’re just coming over the top and trying to get through."

Fredette had a tendency to go under screens at BYU, but as NBA Scouting Director Ryan Blake told HOOPSWORLD on May 5, that was by design. He was likely told to avoid fighting through screens because he couldn’t expose himself to foul trouble and deprive the Cougars of his outside shot.

And on the subject of his shot, Fredette took the time to explain where his ridiculous range came from.

"I think it came from my brother," Fredette said. "He was seven years older than I was and I was always playing with him and his friends. So I couldn’t really take it to the basket when I was young. I was just shooting from the outside. That’s what I had to do and I had to get my shot off quick, because they would block it. They didn’t care, they would just block it.

"Then I would get all mad, so I learned how to shoot from deep ranges from a young age," he added.

Fredette has been hoisting threes over taller defenders for his entire basketball life. Heck, he regularly exceeded NBA range while playing at BYU. But how much longer can he continue to simply take another step back? Can he survive like that at the NBA level?

Paradoxically, the pick and roll—the same set that’s hurting his draft stock on the defensive end of the floor—could offer Fredette salvation on offense. It’s having a resurgence among NBA teams, and the Jazz—a team that shares a fan base with Fredette’s alma mater—have turned the pick and roll into somewhat of an institution.

Did we mention that the Jazz have two lottery picks?

"That would be something that would be very cool, obviously," he said when asked about the possibility of playing in Utah professionally. "I have a big following out there; I feel comfortable there; I have a lot of friends, family around the area. Good system, you know. A lot of pick and rolls, which I think I can do very well in.  A guy like Deron Williams, like I said, flourished in that type of system. I think I can do the same.

"It’s one of the best plays in basketball," he continued. "Look at John Stockton and Karl Malone. No one could stop it, it doesn’t matter what kind of defense, because they could all shoot and [Stockton] made such good decisions. It’s really, really tough to stop."

But Fredette isn’t banking on playing for the Jazz or even being taken in the lottery. The player that was patient enough to withdraw from last year’s draft and return to BYU for his senior season is the same guy that ultimately wants to play for the right team. Fredette isn’t trying to impress every franchise up in Chicago this week—just the one that’s going to be right for him.

"It doesn’t matter how high I get drafted," he said. "It’s all about the system and where I can flourish the most."

{AUTHOR_BOX}Monroe Stayed Out Of It

Greg Monroe represented the Detroit Pistons at Tuesday’s NBA Draft Lottery in Secaucus, NJ, and took some time to discuss his up-and-down first season in the NBA.

The Pistons (30-52) never clicked on the court and things hit rock bottom in February when several players reportedly missed a team shootaround to protest coach John Kuester.

Monroe didn’t participate, but HOOPSWORLD wanted to know if he learned anything from the experience.

"I didn’t learn anything," he told HOOPSWORLD. "That stuff didn’t have anything to do with me. So I just came in and continued to work and do my job."

And that was pretty much the maxim for the season. The Pistons struggled, but as the season wore on Monroe quietly began playing better ball. He even averaged 13.5 PPG and 9.2 RPG to go with a 58.1% mark from the field in March.

"I felt like I was getting better and better as the year went on," he said. "Just going to try to use this season and grow from it."

The plan for this summer, Monroe told HOOPSWORLD, is to continue to work by himself and with teammates at home in New Orleans as well as in Detroit and in Washington D.C. He said he isn’t focusing on playing power forward or center because he thinks the positions are "interchangeable," but he did say he wants to become stronger and develop his outside shot.

Nets Moving Back Into Lottery?

The Nets forfeited the third overall pick in this year’s draft as part of the Deron Williams trade, but GM Billy King still thinks he can move up in the draft. The team is currently slated to pick 27th (from the Lakers).

"I’m trying to move up already or even acquire another pick," King told Fred Kerber of The New York Post. "I couldn’t give you a percentage or odds if it’ll happen, but we’re trying.

Keber notes that King has made a trade in seven of the 10 drafts as 76ers GM.

There is an issue, though: What do the Nets have to offer?

Perhaps if the team couldn’t come to terms with free agent Kris Humphries, a sign-and-trade deal could be arraigned (As Michael pointed out, no sign-and-trade can be worked out until the next CBA is completed). However the more likely candidates to get dealt are point guard Jordan Farmar, forward Damion James or even shooting guard Anthony Morrow because they have smaller, more movable contracts. They’re also all under the age of 25, which obviously helps.

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