The New Orleans Pelicans are becoming increasingly difficult to create a roadmap for with changing leadership and varying expectations.
How long will Zion Williamson remain on the team? Are they still a playoff team, or are they going to finish near the bottom of the league without their 2026 first-round pick? These questions have numerous answers that could be realistically argued.
With the uncertainty, Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes swung for the fences with his pick for who will be the team’s best player in three years. Hughes went with 2025 No. 7 overall selection Jeremiah Fears, formerly of the Oklahoma Sooners.
“Fears has no official NBA track record and a couple of concerning shortcomings in his game that make this a risky pick. But the lightning-quick point guard can get wherever he wants on the floor, and that's a rare skill at any position,” said Hughes.
The 18-year-old first-rounder averaged 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.6 steals for the Sooners last year. He wasn’t very efficient, shooting 43.4% from the field and 28.4% from beyond the arc.
He drew a ton of fouls and shot well from the line, though, which did make up for some of it. Only two players in the country shot more free throws and had a higher percentage than him.
That ability to create opportunities and shots for himself will be crucial to his ability to actually become the face of the team, as Hughes posited.
“With a tight handle, a shockingly sudden first step and good vision, Fears has the starter kit for a superstar creator. If he can overcome his slight frame and hit enough outside shots to keep defenders from sinking into the lane against him, he'll have every chance to rack up paint touches, assists and free-throw attempts,” continued the writer.”
Fears will begin his NBA career sitting behind someone who is a prolific scorer in his own right, Jordan Poole. Poole is someone that the rookie will be able to learn from, both in what to do and what to avoid.
The veteran point guard can take games over on offense with explosive scoring ability, but has never been efficient and has yet to prove viable as the centerpiece of a winning NBA team.
New Pelicans president of basketball operations Joe Dumars has a clear vision for the future of the guard play for his teams, though, as they are certainly similar players on paper.
If Williamson can’t get his health in check, it’s hard to count on the fact that he will still be in New Orleans three years down the road.
Looking at the rest of the roster past Williamson, like fellow Derik Queen and even more established players like Trey Murphy, Fears does seem to have the highest ceiling on the roster.
The guard will have to move past the Poole comparisons and find a lane closer to a Jamal Murray mold of player to reach that ceiling.