The 2025 NBA Draft has plenty of win-now talent, but Jeremiah Fears might be worth the investment by a rebuilding team.
The 2025 NBA Draft will have no shortage of talent. Outside of Cooper Flagg, there are plenty of win-now players with high upside. Ace Bailey, VJ Edgecombe, and Dylan Harper all stand out, but even as teams outside of the early lottery make their selections, they will land high-impact players.
Jeremiah Fears has all the tools to be an excellent NBA guard, but there are some very stark weaknesses as well. Fortunately, none of them are impossible to fix and could be addressed in just a single offseason, but a team looking to take time with their prospect could get the most out of him.
After a successful individual season in his freshman campaign with Oklahoma, Fears is ready to be drafted and could land in the top ten, although a mid-first-round pick is more reasonable.
- Age/Date of Birth: 18 (October 14, 2006)
- Nationality: American
- Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 182lbs
- College: Oklahoma Sooners
- Career stats: 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.6 steals, 43.4 FG%, 28.4 3PT%
- NCAA Tournament stats: 20 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 35.7 FG%, 66.7 3PT%
- Career highs: 31 points (vs. Missouri), 9 rebounds (vs. South Carolina), 10 assists (vs. Mississippi State)
- NBA comparison: Jordan Poole
He’s quick with or without the ball, and has a very tight handle, which bodes well for his potential of being a lead guard in the NBA. He can change pace, stop on a dime, and rise up from midrange to get his shot off without getting to the rim, although he can also get to the basket.
He needs to improve his 3-point shot, although an elite 85.1% from the free-throw line suggests that his shot can and will improve. On top of that, the free-throw percentage should bode well for him as he takes contact on the way to the rim in the NBA.
He is also a great playmaker, especially when the defense collapses when he drives or works in a pick-and-roll (more on that later).
While his Sooners lost to the UConn Huskies in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, he played very well in the SEC Tournament, which suggests his game could translate when there are added pressures.
Against larger NBA players, there is very real concern that his wily frame will prevent him from finishing through contact, so he will need to bulk up, starting basically now.
In addition to that, his sub-30% mark from deep can’t be ignored. While it can and should improve, that’s not a guarantee, and guards who can’t shoot are a rarity in the league.
His shot diet is questionable and his turnovers are high, but that’s the case for most college guards, so it’s less of a major concern and more something to just be aware of.
Like Poole, his pro comparison, he gets distracted on defense and often abandons his assignments. When his man has the ball, he is solid, but if he’s playing off-ball defense, expect his man to find himself open in the corner more than fans would like.
If a team is patient with him (he reclassified from the class of 2026 and is a year younger than most of his counterparts), he should be able to overcome most, if not all, of those concerns.
Fears, it would seem, would land best on a team with kickout threats, an opening as the lead guard of the future, and a pick-and-roll threat. He would also do his best work on a team with off-ball defenders, allowing him to be a point guard defender first and foremost.
The best fit, it would seem, would be alongside Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins, Haywood Highsmith, and Bam Adebayo on the Miami Heat. They own their own pick (lottery protected) and should be able to draft Fears.
If he doesn’t crack the starting lineup, he could play alongside Kel’el Ware, Kyle Anderson, and Duncan Robinson, and likely find the same success.
The Heat have a track record of developing young talent, and Fears could be next in line.
