The 2025-26 season has been one filled with losses, disappointment, and, at times, bad basketball for the New Orleans Pelicans. With a 26-54 record, no first-round pick in a stacked 2026 NBA Draft class, and a roster caught between timelines, the Pelicans’ future has rarely felt more uncertain. That is, until Jeremiah Fears broke out.
Fears started his rookie season incredibly hot, being named a starter in just his third game, but those high highs were followed by a new low shortly after. Fears would be moved to the bench and spend a huge portion of his season learning with the team's second unit. Luckily for him, this was the best thing for his young career, as it taught him patience and how to truly command and run an NBA offense as a lead guard.
His time with the second unit made it easier for him to utilize the skills that made him such a highly sought-after prospect in the 2025 draft. It also leads to incredible games when he's given more freedom and gets starter-level burn, hence his career-high 40 points on Tuesday night against the Utah Jazz.
This breakout game against Utah has given this season meaning for the Pelicans, as despite all the negatives this group faced, they now know a huge part of their future. They have their long-term point guard solution and potential franchise player in Jeremiah Fears.
Jeremiah Fears may have changed the Pelicans’ future
For the majority of this season, it felt like another down year, where the Pelicans learned nothing, entered next season with a nearly identical roster, and would repeat the process. But Fears has changed that. His breakout since New Orleans returned from the All-Star break has given the front office real reason to embrace a rebuild and bring an end to the Zion Williamson era. His willingness to grow, learn, and develop are all the traits teams are looking for in a young player.
Having an elite point guard can fully alter the trajectory of an NBA franchise, and Fears has the potential to do that for New Orleans. His combination of size, speed, skill, and swagger makes the perfect mix of what teams look for when trying to find a franchise-level lead guard.
Pair this with his natural presence as a leader on the court and the fact that the team's current alpha, Dejounte Murray, co-signed him as the future of the team after Tuesday's win, what more is there really to say? It takes a lot to overshadow the fact that a team has a bottom-eight record and no first-round pick, but Fears' play has done that.
Just as Luke Skywalker was a new hope for the Republic in Star Wars, Fears has become a new hope for the nearly hopeless New Orleans Pelicans fan base.