Despite trading for Dejounte Murray and Jordan Poole over the past two offseasons, the New Orleans Pelicans felt comfortable investing the seventh pick in the 2025 NBA Draft on Oklahoma’s Jeremiah Fears. Rookies commonly struggle to begin their professional careers, especially ones as young as Fears, who’s the fourth-youngest player in this class and won’t turn 19 until mid-October.
Those rookies with rocky NBA Summer League starts often improve and Fears’ performance through four Pelicans losses has been mixed. He’s averaging 16.3 points (47 percent true shooting), 2.3 assists and five turnovers per game.
Against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, Fears parlayed his flashes for his most impactful game yet, tallying 22 points (8-of-15 shooting), six rebounds, six assists and four turnovers. Without Derik Queen or Yves Missi suited up, Fears put together the most productive night of his short NBA career.
Facing a Thunder defense which employed deep drop coverage most of the game, Fears showcased his feature ball-handling chops. He routinely squirmed his way downhill and kept control of the ball, despite lengthy, active defenders swiping at him. Smooth changes of direction help him easily crack the paint:
Fears with another tough drive and finish pic.twitter.com/bQ0Mp3cXw2
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) July 17, 2025
Fears struggled to finish around the basket, converting fewer than 50 percent of his attempts at the rim. He compensates for that limitation with excellent foul-drawing and attempted eight free throws (5-of-8 shooting) against the Thunder. Through four games, he’s posted a strong .372 free-throw rate.
Though he isn’t the biggest or sturdiest guard yet, his physicality unlocks more scoring options than most teenage point guards. He’s always looking for contact, bumping back larger players and carving out creases to find shots or draw fouls:
Another Fears layup through traffic pic.twitter.com/DeXZRgWzGQ
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) July 17, 2025
Constant aggression toward the rim has led Fears to rack up turnovers. He ranks second among Las Vegas Summer League participants in turnovers per game, only trailing his fellow Pelicans rookie, Queen. He settled down against the Thunder, kicking to open shooters after cracking the paint.
We’ll still see plays like the clip below, where Fears makes an ill-advised decision. Balancing scoring and playmaking is no easy feat at the NBA level. Fears has the ball skills to maneuver to wherever he wishes on the court but he must continue generating efficient shots with the basketball in his hands.
Fears handle is something pic.twitter.com/LgRbNeuNLz
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) July 17, 2025
It’s worth noting the Pelicans’ team construction in Summer League. They’ve built a roster full of non-spacing centers and perimeter players lacking reliable jumpers and/or passing ability. That makes life much tougher for Fears, as New Orleans ranks dead last in 3-point attempts (23.3) and assists (11.5) per game.
Come the regular season, Fears could endure similar challenges and he’ll have to battle with two established veteran guards for playing time. Murray especially needs the ball in his hands to thrive and struggles adding value away from it. Lineups with two or more of Missi, Queen, Murray and Zion Williamson could present spacing quandaries.
Navigating these problems could bode well for Fears’s future development. Despite early struggles, he’s displayed enough promise to maintain optimism about his long-term outlook.
