The New Orleans Pelicans did not spend a lottery pick on point guard Jeremiah Fears to leave him on the bench during the majority of his rookie season. Unfortunately, the former Oklahoma Sooners' star does not look ready to log meaningful minutes during his 2025-26 season.
Fears' preseason debut for New Orleans left a lot to be desired. He only managed to scratch out seven points against Melbourne United. The bigger concern for the Pelicans' coaching staff is that it took him 15 shots to get to that meager point total.
The athletic lead guard's floor game wasn't any more encouraging. He turned it over five times in just 22 minutes and looked uncomfortable whenever we was pressured by Melbourne's guards. He'll need to tighten his handle and include his decision making if he has any chance of positively impacting the Pelicans' win total this season.
Jeremiah Fears In His Preseason Debut:
— WizardsMuse (@WizardsMuse1) October 3, 2025
7 Points
3 Assists
5 Turnovers
3-15 FG
0-6 3P
22 Minutes
they tried saying fears is better than tre and ace 😠pic.twitter.com/u3UyfkQhyN
Jeremiah Fears has a lot of work to do
Of course, it's far too early to throw dirt on Fears' potential to become an impact player as a rookie. Most scouts viewed Fears as somewhat of a project coming out of the collegiate ranks. He has all the required athleticism to thrive at the pro level, but he was not an efficient offensive player at Oklahoma. His lack of a consistent 3-point shot in the SEC is one reason why he was still on the board when the Pelicans selected him with the No. 7 overall pick in the draft.
The hope with Fears is that he can turn his explosive athleticism into a skill that puts a ton of pressure on opposing defenses at the point of attack. He did most of his damage at Oklahoma in transition or as a wing creator. He lacks the size to do that in the NBA which is why most of his reps will come at point guard for New Orleans.
The Pelicans' starting five desperately needs a quality point guard to emerge this season. Zion Williamson's offensive efficiency could improve drastically with a pick-and-roll partner who can put pressure on defenders with his driving ability.
The team's projected starting five is also noticeably bereft of floor spacing. Yves Missi is a non-shooter from distance at the center spot. Herb Jones got paid as a defender. He can make some shots from behind the arc but isn't what anyone would classify as a long range bomber.
Trey Murphy is a plus shooter, but he can only attract so much attention from opposing defenders. That's one of the reasons the Pelicans made the questionable decision to acquire Jordan Poole this offseason. They understand their starting five needed a player who could get up a large volume of shots on anything flirting with league-average efficiency.
The plan in New Orleans is for Poole to eat innings while Fears adjusts to the pro game. Unfortunately, it looks like that transition may take multiple years rather than just months. Fears needs to show rapid improvement in the preseason to improve his 2025-26 outlook. The Pelicans need him to hit to change the trajectory of their franchise.