Mar 21, 2025; Raleigh, NC, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Jeremiah Fears (0) reacts after scoring against Connecticut Huskies during the second half at Lenovo Center. Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Utah Jazz Take Modern-Day Stockton in New Draft Prediction

Originally posted on Utah Jazz on SI | By Sean Ackerman | Last updated Jun 22, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Utah Jazz have been linked with practically every top prospect heading into the 2025 NBA draft, but the final decision will be made on Wednesday night when Utah is on the clock with the fifth-overall pick.

Utah has held workouts with prospects like Duke's Kon Knueppel, Texas' Tre Johnson, and BYU's Egor Demin. The Jazz are expected to be in the market for a talented point guard, especially since the frontcourt is clogged with talent.

In a new draft prediction from Fox Sports analyst Jason McIntyre, he has Utah selecting Oklahoma point guard Jeremiah Fears, also giving him an intriguing comparison to the likes of Jazz legend John Stockton.

"Could he be their modern-day John Stockton?" McIntyre wrote. "The Jazz have had point guard issues since trading Deron Williams. Isaiah Collier and Keyonte George showed flashes last year, but both project more as combo guards."

Fears, 18, would be a young face to link with Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler. In his lone season as a Sooner, Fears averaged 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in 30.2 minutes per game.

Jeremiah Fears was exceptional when blitzed in ball screen situations, consistently finding the short roll. As the handler in trap scenarios, he generated 1.29 points per possession (93rd percentile)! pic.twitter.com/1NJfXoqYBJ
— Drew Munley (@Drew_Munley14) June 20, 2025

Fears led Oklahoma to the NCAA tournament in March, but lost in the first round to UConn. He was the game's leading scorer, dropping 20 points on 5-for-14 shooting from the field (2-for-3 from three). He played nearly the entire game, showing off his creative handles to get to the rim (and to the free throw line).

Now, comparing Fears to John Stockton seems a bit premature, but he did finish with the 7th-most assists among freshmen in Division 1 basketball. With experience leading an SEC team, Fears could translate nicely to the professional level.

The Jazz gave Isaiah Collier the keys in his rookie season last year, and he responded by averaging 6.3 assists per game. Utah may not want to take Fears if it stunts Collier's development, but Fears certainly could bring another level of scoring to the roster.

There's some big decisions to be made for Utah in the draft, but it all begins with who the team takes (and who they pass on) with the fifth-overall pick.