New Orleans Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears was the No. 7 overall selection in the NBA draft. He is already being circled as the point guard of the future for the franchise.
Fears is an ultra-confident 18-year-old that could have very well could have had a rough "welcome to the league" moment. Instead, he's quickly earned the respect of everyone that he has come into contact with.
"He just doesn't back down from anything. He's tough. He wants to grow and get better. He's extremely talented. And the fact that he's doing this at 18 years old is incredible. Most of us couldn't touch the surface that he's on right now [at his age]," said New Orleans head coach Willie Green.
That sentiment is shared by virtually everyone in the building that has been asked about him.
Fears spent one season in college with the Oklahoma Sooners. As the centerpiece of the offense, he averaged 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.
He had the volume, but not great efficiency. He shot 43.4% from the field and 28.4% from deep, he was better from the charity stripe at 85.1%.
It's not hard to draw comparisons in his game to that of Jordan Poole, who has actually been assigned as the veteran in charge of showing Fears the ropes, according to Green.
"I've been talking to Jordan a little bit. He's been giving me a lot of great advice and just continuing to kind of be that older get that you need to be in your ear and give you every little piece of advice that you need," said Fears on the mentorship.
The admiration certainly goes both ways in that relationship.
"Jeremiah's got game for sure. Just watching him, being on the court with him. He loves the game, said Poole. "I'm extremely impressed."
Them both being from the Midwest has certainly helped the bonding so far.
The early impression that he has made is not lost on Fears, but he is also trying to keep his feet grounded as he adjusts to the NBA.
"I appreciate my teammates talking so well and so highly of me, but [I'm] just continuing to take everything day by day and keep learning. That's going to be the biggest thing for me. Being 18, you know a lot, but you don't know everything," said the rookie.
That last part will be crucial this year. Being self aware. He's not going to be guaranteed minutes on this team, so he will have to fight for every chance he gets.
The good thing is that he at least has made a great first impression. Because if he shows that he is ready, he will play.