Despite defensive struggles, Jeremiah Fears flashed elite scoring potential and a 40-point ceiling, proving he could be the offensive spark plug the New Orleans Pelicans desperately need.
The New Orleans Pelicans' season did not go as planned, but it was an interesting year for almost all of the players (for better or worse). There were some surprises, some let-downs and a whole lot of information to unpack before building next year's team.
To better understand the team as a whole, it's important to break everything down to the individual level. Here's a look at what went well, what went wrong and an overall grade for Pelicans rookie point guard Jeremiah Fears' 2026 campaign:
What Went Well
From the moment that Fears stepped on an NBA court, he was able to get to his spot and score the ball. He scored 17 points off the bench in his debut. He had 17 games with at least 20 points and had a high of 40. There is no doubting that he will be a bucket-getter in this league.
The fact that he was as adept at scoring at just 19 was very impressive. He could have been more efficient, yes, but he at least established a promising baseline. He also consistently improved throughout his first campaign.
When he got benched as the team got healthier, there was no pouting. Fears went to work and ended up far better for it. He was playmaking more, finding confidence from deep and bringing more effort on defense.
What Went Wrong
While there was a lot to like from Fears' debut campaign, there is also a lot to clean up. Given that he isn't the strongest guard, he did end up getting hunted on defense at times. That was the big drawback for both of New Orleans' rookies. For much of the year, Fears had the lowest +/- of any rookie in the league, and he still finished in the bottom 10.
Most of his big issues saw improvement as the season went along, though, so there's not too much to harp on.
Overall Grade - A-
All things considered, this was an excellent rookie season for Fears. He ended it on a three-game stretch of scoring at least 36 points. While it's fair to be pessimistic about the future of the Pelicans as a whole, Fears at least showed that the sky is the limit for his game. He may never be a dominant defender, but he can transform an offense.
What's Next?
The best thing that Fears can do to make New Orleans better next season is to become a volume three-point shooter. He showed the potential with two games of five makes, but it didn't happen consistently. He is great at getting to the rim, but so are many of the Pelicans' players. They have fewer people who can shoot efficiently.