Upside and Motor: 2025 NBA Draft Big Board 2.0, Jeremiah Fears takes flight

With conference play about to gain steam, it's an opportune time to update our NBA Draft rankings for this week's Upside and Motor column. So far, the 2025 class has lived up to the hype, with several future stars emerging from Cooper Flagg's shadow. After last year's class sort of came and went, generating very little buzz and even less confidence, NBA fans are — rightfully — locked in on what should be a loaded rookie class next autumn.

As always, our preconceived notions going into the season have been obliterated by the unpredictability of actual basketball. Some prospects we thought highly of are trending down, while others, such as standout Oklahoma freshman Jeremiah Fears, have made the rapid ascent from unheralded recruit to genuine lottery pick.

It's still early for sweeping conclusions, and it's virtually impossible to hash out an entire draft class in a "vacuum." But, this big board will take a shot at ranking the best prospects on the board, with extra credit allotted to those with outlier skills or unique schematic and positional versatility.

You can read our latest mock draft, which takes specific team fits into account, here.

2025 NBA Draft Big Board: Cooper Flagg remains No. 1, Jeremiah Fears on the rise

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Jeremiah Fears, four-star recruit turned potential top-five pick

Oklahoma freshman Jeremiah Fears has left a swift and indelible impression on NBA scouts. Still 18 years old, the 6-foot-4, 182-pound point guard emits a crackling electricity. He's practically floating out there, nixing defenders with sharp handles and a devastating first step. His movement skills are just special. There aren't many guards, NBA or otherwise, who can drive the lane so fluidly, so quickly.

Fears hasn't been the most efficient 3-point shooter, but the volume is respectable enough, and he showcases compelling touch on mid-range pull-ups and floaters around the basket. He's shooting 60 percent on 2s, constantly tilting the defense with his speed and using a diverse package of finishing moves.

He's coughing up the rock a bit too frequently — only a 1.2 assist-to-turnover ratio — but Fears is one of the youngest prospects on the board. He won't turn 19 until October. He has proven himself more than capable of delivering high-level dimes, often while operating a literal step or two ahead of his defender, so NBA front offices should afford him patience in their evaluations. His advantage creation, touch, and defensive playmaking (2.2 steals) all scream All-Star future.

Jase Richardson is making the most of his limited opportunities

Michigan State's Jase Richardson — son of former NBA star Jason Richardson — hasn't even cracked the starting lineup for the Spartans, but he's already soaring up draft boards on the strength of his per-minute impact.

The most underrated trait in draft evaluation is feel. It's sort of a hard "skill" to peg down. It's more about the essence of a player. If a prospect processes the floor quickly, if he plays "the right way," there is a tendency to overlook him on the basis of other more measurable qualities, such as frame, athleticism, or counting stats.

On the surface, Richardson does not pop much. He's a 6-foot-3 point guard without outlier burst or strength, nor is he putting up crazy numbers. The 19-year-old is averaging 9.8 points and 2.5 assists on .636/.545/.846 splits in 21.3 minutes.

There is, of course, one eye-catching stat there — Richardson's shooting efficiency, although 12 games of limited usage probably should not define a player's scoring profile. What makes Richardson special, beyond the efficacy of his jump shot, is all the small areas where he succeeds. Richardson has a 3.3 assist-to-turnover ratio. He has proved scalable, willing to take on point guard duties when called upon, but equally comfortable drilling spot-up 3s, attacking closeouts, and connecting dots with rapid-fire dimes in the flow of the offense. That he's finishing so well around the basket and hitting so many of his 3s, even on small volume, is gravy.

One of these days, Richardson will get an expanded role, wherein his game will really come alive, and NBA scouts will start to catch on.

Who I'm paying special attention to: Maxime Reynaud, Ian Jackson, Xaivian Lee

Stanford big man Maxime Reynaud, listed at 7-foot-1 and 235 pounds, is shooting 34.4 percent on 4.7 3-point attempts per game. He's also netting 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals on the defensive back line for the Cardinal while leading the ACC in points (20.8) and rebounds (11.9), for good measure. There is real value in a volume shooting 7-footer, especially if he can hold up defensively. Reynaud will never be an elite rim protector, but teams looking to unearth a Brook Lopez knockoff should keep an eye on the fourth-year center.

Ian Jackson, meanwhile, is averaging 24.3 points on .545/.400/.654 splits over his last three games. The North Carolina freshman does next to nothing when it comes to setting up teammates, but he's a bucket of the highest degree, and there could be a clear path to sixth man spark-plug duties at the next level. He's a wiry 6-foot-4 guard, generating space with complex dribble moves and hitting tough shots at every level. If he ever starts passing, watch out.

Junior point guard Xaivian Lee recently led Princeton to a win over Rutgers, outdueling projected No. 2 pick Dylan Harper in the process. Listed 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds, Lee is not the beneficiary of elite athleticism. What he can do, however, is mix speeds and changes in direction as a ball-handler, leveraging his herky-jerky nature to create driving angles, collapse the defense, and exploit them. He's also shooting a career-high 37.9 percent from deep on healthy volume, which is a promising trend.