Jeremiah Fears 2025 NBA Draft Profile

Strengths

The greatest part of Fears’ game is clearly his ability to generate rim pressure using his speed, handle, and athleticism. He is excellent at creating advantages against defenders by changing speed and clever ball control. Despite being undersized, Fears is fearless when attacking the basket. Specifically, he has the fluidity and skill to finish through contact, using his downhill physicality to bump off defenders. Additionally, Fears converts his many free-throw opportunities well, shooting 85.1% from the line. Speaking of shooting, Fears has shown three-level scoring potential. In particular, he has touch in the mid-range using pull-up jumpers and floaters.

Another area that Fears had positive flashes in is his playmaking ability. The rim pressure that he naturally provides helps him generate good looks for others. He has demonstrated solid passing vision, even when drawing multiple defenders on him. Fears is especially effective as a passer in the pick-and-roll, finding his open roller for lobs or easy looks.

As for defense, Fears plays hard on that end of the floor despite his size issues. He is especially skilled at anticipating passes and picking them off, averaging 1.6 steals per game this season. Additionally, Fears has shown flashes of being a pesky on-ball defender by pressuring ball-handlers. Though, as mentioned before, the most important thing about Fears on the defensive end is his willingness to play hard with a high motor.

Weaknesses

One of the major areas of improvement for Fears is his shooting ability. While he does have upside as a shooter, his three-point shooting is still a work in progress, especially shooting off the dribble. His form isn’t bad, but his shooting hasn’t had the consistency that it needs to reach. Fears has shown interesting flashes as a passer; however, he is prone to turnovers. In particular, he averaged 3.4 turnovers compared to 4.1 assists per game this season. He absolutely needs to work on his decision-making as he can have tunnel vision and force things unnecessarily.

Fears does try hard on defense, but his size and lack of strength put a cap on how effective he will be on the defensive end. He can get bullied by bigger players who can go right through him. His lack of size and strength also limits his defensive versatility. Plus, Fears can be caught ball-watching, leading to easy cuts to the basket for his opponents. Speaking of strength, Fears is susceptible to being bumped off course when driving to the basket. There are questions as to whether his driving ability will be as effective against better competition in the NBA. Elsewhere on offense, Fears has limited effectiveness playing off the ball and will need to develop in that aspect.

NBA Comparison

Considering his speed and ability to get into the paint, several comparisons come to mind. One high-end comparison is former NBA player Monta Ellis, given that both of them use their speed and handle to get into the paint. Furthermore, both Ellis and Fears like to operate in the mid-range and neither are consistent three-pointer shooters. Another comparison is former NBA All-Star Devin Harris. For similar reasons to Ellis, Harris shares many of the same qualities as Fears. Plus, all three of them can rock the rim.

2025 NBA Draft Projection

Fears land firmly in the lottery, with the possibility of going as high as the fifth overall pick.