We're coming down the home stretch of the 2024-25 NBA season. At the time of writing, the New Orleans Pelicans have just seven games left on their docket, including a matchup later tonight against the Los Angeles Clippers. It's never good to presume the result of a clash between professional athletes, but considering both teams' current place in the standings, this will likely be an easy win for James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and the rest of the Clips.
Several Pelicans will be out against LA, including Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum, who were shut down for the remainder of the season. New Orleans wants to ensure that it loses as many games as possible in these last couple of weeks to maximize its chances in the NBA Draft lottery, hoping to land generational prospect Cooper Flagg.
But, even if the Pelicans successfully bottom out the rest of the season, it'll be a long shot for them to come away with the first overall pick. Even the worst team in the league, currently the 16-59 Washington Wizards, only has a 14 percent chance at number one, as do the second and third-worst finishers. New Orleans and the rest of the league's tankers have to prepare adequately for the possibility that they'll fall in the lottery. Thankfully, this is a deep draft class with several potential cornerstones for the Pelicans, including Duke Blue Devil Khaman Maluach, Baylor's VJ Edgecombe, or the newly declared Jeremiah Fears out of Oklahoma.
Jeremiah Fears is a legitimate option for the Pelicans if they fall out of the top three
NBA Draft analysts have been putting up mocks and big boards for months now, but technically, the full list of eligible prospects is still incomplete. Players like Duke's trio of projected lottery picks Flagg, Maluach, and Kon Knueppel haven't technically declared yet, as they're still currently competing in the NCAA tournament.
The Oklahoma Sooners were eliminated in the Round of 64 by UConn, but their point guard Jeremiah Fears just officially declared the draft. He's been a steady riser on boards throughout the season and should have only helped his stock with his last performance after putting up 20 points, four rebounds, and five assists, despite the loss to the Huskies.
Oklahoma freshman Jeremiah Fears is entering the 2025 NBA draft and forgoing his remaining college eligibility, he tells ESPN. The SEC all-freshman guard is the No. 7 prospect in ESPN's NBA draft projections.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 2, 2025
Fears fits the profile of a potential target for the Pelicans for multiple reasons. He's one of the most talented point guards in the draft, which would fill a continued need for New Orleans. Even after they traded for Dejounte Murray, this season showed that they need more ball-handling.
They also need another player who can consistently probe into the middle of opposing defenses and send other teams into a scramble. Currently, the only Pelicans who get into the paint with regularity are Dejounte and Zion Williamson. When neither of those players is in the game, it's incredibly easy for New Orleans to fall into offensive ruts. Fears could solve that problem overnight.
Not only would he fill an immediate need, the former Sooner is one of the youngest players in the draft. He showed in his freshman year that he's capable of shouldering an incredible workload despite his inexperience. He led the entire NCAA in usage rate for Oklahoma and came up clutch multiple times throughout the season. It's enticing to think about how much further he can grow as he matures in body and mind.
On the other hand, he did appear pretty green at times in various areas of his game. His shot selection, strength, defensive consistency, ball security, and shooting touch all left a lot to be desired. Thankfully, those are all traits that could significantly improve with experience and time. The way he's relentless getting to the rim, his change of pace, his control using screens, and his tendency to come up big are all things that go beyond coaching and repetition. Jeremiah Fears could be much more than a consolation prize for the Pelicans if that's who they end up with in the draft.