Oct 16, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears (0) shoots against Orlando Magic center/forward Goga Bitadze (35) during the second half at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Pelicans’ Rookie Caps Preseason on Hot Streak

Originally posted on NBA Draft on SI | By Derek Parker | Last updated Oct 17, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The Pelicans offseason was largely overshadowed by the team offloading what could be a crucial 2026 NBA Draft pick. But that hasn’t stopped the team’s newest top pick from shining through the preseason slate.

Jeremiah Fears, the No. 7 player taken off the board at the 2025 NBA Draft, hasn’t yet gotten the memo that New Orleans’ draft was supposed to have gone awry. Instead, he’s looked like one of the more promising new guards in the league, offering suave scoring, improving play-making and more.

The Pelicans capped their four-game preseason slate off with a 10-point loss to the Magic on Thursday night, losing 135-125 in a high-scoring affair.

Fears was able to impose his will in the scoring department like plenty of others, going for a bench-high 16 points on 5-for-12 shooting. He hit just one three in four tries, but managed six rebounds — a collegiate high point for him — as well as two assists to three turnovers.

Jeremiah Fears 16 Points, 6 Rebs, 2 Assists full highlight vs Magic I 2025 NBA Preseason pic.twitter.com/a8lNUhivlN
— Hoops Showtime (@HoopsShowtime12) October 17, 2025

It wasn’t a massively efficient night, but he still seems just a step further ahead than he should to this point.

His final preseason performance comes just one game after what was likely the best game of his life, as he added 20 points on 53% shooting against the Rockets, with six rebounds and four assists.

In fact, only Fears’ pro opener was below par, as he shot 3-for-15 for just seven points with five turnovers against Melbourne weeks ago.

All in all, with first game jitters dragging him down somewhat, Fears finished the preseason averaging 13.8 points on 40% shooting, tacking on four rebounds per game and three assists.

A project guard out of Oklahoma who saw a one-and-done season with the Sooners, few would've expected Fears to truly hit the ground running in New Orleans. But he's done just that in scoring in the mid-range with confidence, handling with ease and translating his above-average rebounding over.

It's still not known if New Orleans will play Fears a heavy amount in the regular season. The team seemingly wants to win games next year, and playing a frosh 30-plus minutes a night might not be conducive to that. But Fears has also shown in his short time with the organization that he might just be worth pouring into.

New Orleans will open up their 2025-26 regular season with a bout against the Memphis Grizzlies on Oct. 22. A Western Conference opponent that's likely to grapple for the same seeding, the game could offer a great look at just how much burn Fears will get in Year 1.

This article first appeared on NBA Draft on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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