Another monster performance from Jimmer Fredette wasn’t enough to carry the Shanghai Sharks into the second round of the playoffs as the fell to Shenzhen Leopards 102-95 in overtime on Sunday.
Fredette put on a show offensively as he finished with 50 points – his fourth 50-point game of the season – on 14 for 32 shooting from the floor and 20-for-20 from the free-throw line. He added 10 rebounds and two assists in 50:32 of action.
Fredette was especially good from inside the arc as he hit 12 of 20 shots, but struggled from 3-point land as he connected on just 2 of 12 in the season-ending loss. He wasn’t the only one that was cold from the outside for the Sharks as they hit on 9 of 41 from distance, including 1-for-8 from Guerschon Yabusele and 1-for-7 from Liu XiaoYu.
Another area that cost the Sharks was on the backboards. The Leopards won the rebounding battle 67 to 56, including 24 to 17 on the offensive glass.
Maciej Lampe led the way for Shenzhen with 28 points on 12-for-27 shooting and hit a dagger three in overtime to push the game out of reach. He added 15 rebounds and five assists in 38:53. Jeremy Pargo also had a solid all-around game as he totaled 20 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Meng Duo added 21 points, six rebounds and three assists while Li Muhao contributed 13 points and 14 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end.
The only other players to reach double figures in scoring for Shanghai were Zhang ZhaoXu who finished with 14 points on a perfect 7-for-7 shooting from the floor and Cai Liang who had 10 points to go along with seven rebounds.
Yabusele returned from the ankle injury that sidelined him for most of game 4, but clearly wasn’t himself as he totaled just seven points on 3-for-13 shooting from the field and 0 of 2 from the foul line. He added a team-best 11 rebounds and a pair of steals in 26:28.
XiaoYu also had a tough shooting night in the loss as he registered just four points on 1-for-12 shooting from the floor, but did manage four rebounds, three assists and two steals in 51:53.
In the playoffs, Fredette averaged 40.3 points a game to go along with 11.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals in 45.3 minutes.
JMoneySports 
Thanks for covering The Jimmer. Tough loss, but Jimmer took Yao’s team to unimaginable heights this year. Jimmer represents us so well, and is a remarkable athlete. Think of the past couple weeks of his life: 70+ points in final ref season, MVP of the league award, has a baby girl in Co, flies back to beat the leopards the next game, and dumps in 50 for the finale. Haters gonna hate, but most of that is from sorry lazy losers sitting on their couch at home. Jimmer is a superior human being deserving of our greatest admiration. Active in the church, family man, remarkable individual. He certainly has my respect. If the worst case scenario is cashing millions in China, A household name of 1B people, your own shoe line, a new dad, an amazing wife, active in the faith? I’d say he is a remarkable success by any standard.
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You’re welcome. I was definitely a crazy couple weeks that I am sure he will never forget.
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Thank you for all of your coverage! I truly enjoyed it and like forward to your articles.
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Thank you very much. I Appreciate that more than you know.
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Thanks for the story. Here’s hope that an NBA team will finally see his talent and play him. Best of luck to the Jimmer. One thing Bryan missed out from above comment on this past week or two, was also his birthday on the 25th.
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One of the best parts of my day was reading these updates. Thank you
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Thank you, Steve! I Appreciate that.
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So far, most of the NBA teams seem to want Fredette to stand at the three-point line and wait for the ball while running all over on defense. That’s not his game. He methodically begins to wear defenses out by attacking inside and out, which creates openings for him and other players to score. Admittedly, he will often take the shot. If he’s running a second string, though, who else would you want shooting? Insert him with a strong defensive unit, and it gives the ability to point the momentum in a game to your team, draw some fouls, and get the opponent on their heels. A good coach will put together a lineup that can use unique skill sets. Most playoff-bound teams have lineups set and are loyal to the players who have been together all year. Don’t expect too much from them. A team that can gamble a little may be the best bet.
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Pretty crazy how they let players absolutely mug him up and down the court at the end of the season? Was any other player defended that way or were those special Jimmer rules?
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It definitely got very physical and you could tell it frustrated Fredette. I only watched the Sharks’ games so I can only tell you how Shanghai defended the other imports, but not the league as a whole.
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Did they offer Fredette a contract extension? If so, did they offer more $$$$?
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Those deals are usually year to year so it allows players to find a new team in another country for the rest of the year since the Chinese league ends so early.
Even if he did sign with another team, outside a multi-year deal with an NBA team, he still has a chance to end up back in China next year.
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