With the New Orleans Pelicans' summer league wrapping up on July 18th, the anticipation for the 2025-26 season is at an all-time high. This comes with unrealistic expectations, one of which is that Jeremiah Fears will come in from day one and be a starting-level point guard. I'm not throwing any shade at Fears, as I expect him to become a heck of an NBA player; however, the expectation of him being a starter isn't realistic.
During Fears' time in Vegas for the summer league, he had his fair share of ups and downs. He showed off his quick burst, crafty scoring ability, and unwavering confidence. However, he also raised a ton of questions with his lackluster play on defense, inefficient shooting, and his high turnover rate.
The 18-year-old Oklahoma product led the Pelicans in points per game with 17.4 a night, but struggled with his efficiency, shooting just 40% from the field and 18% from three. These shooting struggles, along with Fears averaging almost 2 turnovers for every assist he had in the summer league, show he's a ways away from being a starting-caliber guard.
Defensively, he'll need to add some size, but already has a great mentality on that side of the floor. As a result, despite getting exposed on the perimeter, he approaches every matchup with intensity.
This isn't a negative but rather a positive
While some fans may be disappointed with how far Fears is from becoming a high-level NBA player, he couldn't be in a better place for his development. To have an 18-year-old kid come and not have the pressure of being a franchise savior, but instead be able to get reps as a 3rd or even 4th-string guard, is going to be great for his development.
Having the opportunity to learn from a former All-Star like Dejounte Murray is only going to help him develop further as a playmaker and defender. Additionally, he will also learn from Jordan Poole, who shares a similar playstyle and has Championship experience from his days with the Warriors. And if those two aren't good enough vets, he also gets to learn from Jose Alvarado, who is the definition of a pro.
Knowing that he'll have all three of these guys there if he's struggling is only going to make Fears play looser.
Out of all the Pelicans' rookies, I expect Fears to probably get the least amount of run, as Derik Queen brings much-needed size and Micah Peavy is extremely NBA-ready. With the amount of depth New Orleans has at point guard, along with Fears' struggles in the summer league, I expect his rookie year to be a developmental one.