New Orleans Pelicans Draft Jeremiah Fears with No. 7 Pick

The 2025 NBA Draft officially kicked off tonight, with Duke’s Cooper Flagg officially hearing his name called first by the Mavericks, followed up by the Spurs calling on Rutgers guard Dylan Harper.

From there, the rest of the lottery ended up being a fascinating time in the draft as each selection was a domino that impacted the next several picks. With the seventh overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the New Orleans Pelicans selected Jeremiah Fears.

One of the youngest players in the class, Fears was a relative surprise at lead guard for Oklahoma this year, massively producing in a tough SEC slate. Across 34 games, he scored a team-high 17.1 points on 43% shooting, adding 4.1 rebounds and assists apiece.

Fears has needed development to become a high-impact guard, namely shoring up his scoring efficiency and limiting turnovers. But should he iron out his game in general, he’ll have genuine star-power.

Per an earlier scouting report from NBA Draft on SI: Fears is an aggressive offensive player who has confidence in his abilities. That’s one of the reasons his game has translated so quickly at the college level and should give NBA teams similar optimism moving forward. He’s a great athlete who boats good length and explosiveness. 

With all of the injuries New Orleans faced last year, the Pelicans' record was not indicative of the talent on the roster. They recently acquired Jordan Poole via trade, as this franchise looks for a spark and a chance to make the playoffs next season.

The Pelicans have another first-round pick, along with a fairly early second-round selection. Don't be surprised if New Orleans is active on the trade front the rest of tonight and into tomorrow as one of the most fascinating teams in the NBA figures out how to approach the future.

The next major milestone in the NBA offseason will be the 2025 NBA 2K25 Summer League held in Las Vegas, NV, which will take place from July 10-20.