Jeremiah Fears ought to be fascinated about who he desires to take to promenade proper now. With an Oct. 19 birthday, Fears was a part of the highschool class of 2025 till finalizing a daring plan to reclassify following his standout run on the Nike EYBL circuit over the summer season.
“My aim is to play within the NBA,” Fears informed ESPN on the day he dedicated to Oklahoma. It was a aim that couldn’t wait.
Fears was initially dedicated to Illinois, the state college for his hometown of Joliet, situated about 45 miles Southwest of Chicago. The Illini have been planning for Fears to come back to campus for 2025-26, however there wasn’t actually a spot for him this season after they took Lithuanian level guard Kasparas Jakucionis in Might after already signing Arizona switch Kylan Boswell.
As Fears re-opened his recruitment, he continued to lean on his native connections. Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser grew up in close by Naperville earlier than rising to nationwide fame when he led Loyola Chicago to the Remaining 4 in 2018. An assistant on employees, Armon Gates, was one other Chicago native who knew Fears’ father from his personal enjoying days.
Most significantly, the Sooners had a gap at level guard and have been keen to let Fears drive the offense as one of many youngest gamers in faculty basketball. If Fears was going to place himself within the combine for the 2025 NBA Draft, he knew he needed to present scouts what he may do with the ball in his arms.
A couple of months later, Oklahoma is now 11-0 to start out the season, one in all solely 4 undefeated groups within the nation. After being nowhere to be discovered on early NBA huge boards getting into the season, Fears is now establishing himself as a possible lottery choose — and it’s attainable he may go a lot increased than that. Every little thing goes in response to plan for the younger guard, and he’s solely beginning to scratch the floor of what he may in the future change into.
Fears at all times appeared like he was going to be taller than his older brother, Jeremy Fears, who’s now a sophomore level guard at Michigan State. It wasn’t till this yr that his development spurt actually began to hit.
After measuring at 6’1 barefoot in the summertime of 2023 on the Nike Elite 100 camp, Fears is presently listed at 6’4 at Oklahoma and appears each little bit of it. Now blessed with NBA dimension for his place, Fears has been placing on a present all yr as one of the vital scintillating guards within the nation regardless of additionally being one of many youngest.
Fears was at his finest in his first matchup towards a ranked workforce on Wednesday evening. Going through off towards Michigan on a impartial flooring in Charlotte, the freshman guard constantly picked aside the Wolverines protection off the dribble, and punished them each time they went beneath a display. With the Sooners trailing by three within the closing seconds, Fears sprinted to take a pitch off a dribble-handoff, and drained a three-pointer plus the foul from NBA vary. He hit the free throw to win the sport.
Fears completed with 30 factors on 8-of-12 taking pictures from the ground, 3-of-4 taking pictures from three-point vary, and 11-of-13 taking pictures on the foul line. He struggled with turnovers at occasions (5), but additionally added 4 assists and three rebounds within the win.
Oklahoma is placing an express quantity of belief in one of many youngest gamers within the nation, and he’s main them to an unbeaten begin. Fears has the best utilization fee of any freshman in DI at 32.9 p.c. To place that in perspective, that quantity is barely increased than what Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic are carrying this season, and solely behind Giannis Antetokounmpo and LaMelo Ball when it comes to NBA gamers.
Regardless of shouldering such an enormous load for the Sooners, Fears is working at great effectivity. He’s posting immaculate 62.9 p.c true taking pictures, making him one in all 11 gamers within the nation with a utilization fee over 30 and a TS% higher than 60. The one different freshman within the nation doing it’s presumptive No. 2 choose Dylan Harper, and Fears ranks increased than him in each classes.
Fears is taking pictures 57.3 p.c on two-pointers and 34.1 p.c on three-pointers, each strong marks. His effectivity has actually been pushed by his capability to get to the foul line. His 57.7 free throw is an outstanding mark for a freshman guard, and he’s taking pictures 85.9 p.c when he will get to the charity stripe.
Fears hardly ever settles for a jumper with the ball in his arms regardless of having good taking pictures contact. He prefers getting downhill, the place he showcases his tight deal with, capability to vary speeds, and basic shiftiness. It’s spectacular that he doesn’t draw back from contact regardless of being so younger. He’s not the kind of guard who will dunk in your head, however he does have actual explosiveness out and in of his crossovers when attacking the basket.
Fears’ playmaking can be superior. His 32.2 help fee locations him No. 56 within the nation. There are solely three different freshmen with a 32 p.c help fee proper now, and it contains future lottery picks Jakucionis and BYU’s Egor Demin (the opposite is Baylor’s Robert Wright III).
Fears is already well-versed in understanding learn how to use his scoring gravity to arrange straightforward scoring possibilities for his teammates. He hardly ever appears rushed with the ball in his arms and can string out his dribble till he has a transparent passing lane. Lead guards simply appear to be born with a degree of passing imaginative and prescient that may’t actually be discovered or coached, and Fears has it.
I am going by way of the tape proper now and Jeremiah Fears placed on a passing present within the first half towards Oklahoma State. This one is perhaps forgotten about because it did not find yourself as an help, however the course of in site visitors to arrange a large open take a look at the rim is admittedly good. pic.twitter.com/kXsMLDX3QZ
— Wilko (@wilkomcv) December 16, 2024
Additional growing as a shooter will put Fears excessive as an NBA prospect, and there are many causes to consider in his shot. Hitting 34 p.c from three and 86 p.c this early in his profession is encouraging. Groups wish to see him take greater than 7.5 threes per 100 possessions — a quantity that ranks beneath Harper and Jakucionis — however his hesitance doesn’t appear to stem from a insecurity, however somewhat a choice for attending to the cup.
Half of Fears’ 14 made threes have been self-created this yr. Go beneath the display and he’ll let it fly.
It’s vital for a guard like Fears to have an acceptable mid-range recreation, too, and there are some optimistic indicators there as properly. Fears has made 41.4% of his non-paint twos this yr, and none of them have been assisted.
He is aware of learn how to hyperlink his dribble strikes to get his defender off-balance earlier than rising to fireplace. The truth that he’s equally adept at creating area together with his deal with or his power is beautiful for a participant who simply turned 18.
One of many clearest markers of future upside is a excessive steal fee in a younger participant. Fears shines there, too, with a 4.6 p.c steal fee rating No. 50 in America, and third for all freshmen guards behind future lottery choose V.J. Edgecombe of Baylor, and likewise Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner.
Oklahoma has confronted a fairly smooth schedule up to now. That’s about to vary in this system’s first season within the SEC, with top-10 matchups at Alabama, at Auburn, dwelling towards Tennessee, at Florida, and residential towards Kentucky highlighting the early 2025 schedule.
If Fears retains this up, there ought to be no cap on his potential draft inventory. Proper now, Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper are locks to go No. 1 and No. 2 total within the 2025 NBA Draft, however nobody has emerged because the consensus favourite for the third total choose. Fears can conceivably get there.
Fears’ numbers scream star upside. Working at tremendous excessive utilization whereas additionally being an environment friendly scorer with a excessive help fee and a excessive steal fee is engaging for any prospect, and significantly spectacular for somebody who ought to nonetheless be in highschool proper now. The very best marker of upside is simply being actually productive at a extremely younger age towards older competitors. Fears is nailing that up to now. If he retains it up when the schedule will get harder, his desires of being an NBA lottery choose this summer season are going to change into a actuality.
Fears and his household had a imaginative and prescient for his future when he first began contemplating reclassifying. It’s all coming to fruition proper now, and Oklahoma is undefeated due to it.
