2025 NBA Draft: Jeremiah Fears Scouting Report
Evaluating the Oklahoma Sooners guard ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft.
DRAFT EVALUATION: Top 15-20 pick
NBA ROLE: Pick-and-roll playmaker
REMINDS ME OF: Jaden Ivey, Jalen Hood-Schifino, low-end college Markelle Fultz
RAW STATS: 17.1 PTS, 4.1 REB (0.7o/3.4d), 4.1 AST to 3.4 TOV, 1.6 STL, 0.1 BLK, 1.9 PF in 30.2 MINS over 34 GAMES
ADVANCED STATS: 4.8 BPM, 31.9 USG%, 56.2 TS%, 3.1 OREB%, 13.0 DREB%, 28.6 AST%, 20.2 TOV%, 1.2 A/TO, 3.1 STL%, 0.5 BLK%
Background:
Birthday: October 14, 2006
Height: 6-foot-41 (probably closer to 6-foot-3)
Wingspan: Measured at 6-foot-32 when he was 6-1 barefoot in 2023
Weight: 182 pounds
Reclassified into the 2024 high school class (and 2025 draft). Had initially committed to Illinois.
Played high school basketball at Arizona Compass Prep. Played AAU ball with the Indy Heat program. Ranked as a four-star recruit by ESPN, 247 Sports, On3…
Father is Jeremy Fears Sr., who played college basketball at Ohio and Bradley. Brother is sophomore Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr.
Takeaway:
Jeremiah Fears is carrying Oklahoma’s offense as a pick-and-roll playmaker on extremely high usage despite being a reclassified freshman who won’t turn 19 until October. He creates advantages as a scorer and facilitator, but must improve his efficiency at the rim, as a pull-up shooter, and as a passer.
Fears is a dynamic ballhandler who uses ballscreens to create looks for himself and others. His quick first step and ability to chain dribble moves give him constant paint touches, and he is adept at drawing fouls and free throws. However, to become more efficient — especially in the half-court — he’ll need to get stronger.
Fears' process as a pull-up shooter is interesting, but the numbers reflect a work in progress — especially from three (9/46, 19.6 3P%). That said, he’s a willing shooter, and his numbers from the midrange look promising. Once he gets stronger and likely keeps improving in an NBA system, there are reasons to buy Fears’ self-creation as a pull-up shooter. For now, his off-ball role is unclear if not playing as the primary initiator, but he's a willing spot-up shooter.
As a pick-and-roll facilitator, Fears is creative but inefficient with a 1.0 assist-to-turnover ratio that really needs to improve. He's a crafty jump passer when he looks downhill, and he's also capable finding his bigs on their rolls. Looking ahead, Fears needs to avoid inaccurate deliveries and generally sloppy moments - but he should be able to generate shots from three and near the basket.
Defensively, Fears is probably a non-factor at the next level right now. He struggles to contain dribble penetration even at the college level and rarely creates events plays on- or off-ball. Fears rarely impacts possessions beyond isolated steals. Strength, again, will be crucial on this end. He is not switchable and can even struggle positionally. The pitch on Fears is about the advantages he creates on offense, but he has to hold up defensively to stay on the floor in the situations that matter most.
Offense:
31.5 USG% is super high for a freshman reclassify, although he’s carried the load relatively well. The question is whether he can raise his efficiency to that level of usage.
Slippery slasher with his handle, speed, and ability to draw fouls. Still skinny, but has a real ability to create contact. Goes left and right.
Finishing 55.1% (70/127)3 of his shots at the rim with 25.7% assisted… but that goes down to 46.7% (35/75) in the half-court compared to 67.3% in transition.
5 dunks all season, none in the half-court. Overall, much more efficient in transition and will be a grab-and-go playmaker in the NBA.
Has shown some signs of a runner.
Effective chaining dribble combinations together. Herky-jerky handle teases defenders into making a move before speeding away. Hard to stay in front of.
Doesn’t always require a screen to get into a drive, but more dangerous when that’s the case.
Creates a lot of fouls. Shoots 5.4 free throws per game, and makes 84.6 FT% (115/136). 49.1 FTr4 is strong for a skinny freshman guard acting as his team’s offensive engine.
Strength can still be an issue when finishing, especially in the half-court. If he doesn’t get the foul, he isn’t strong enough yet to dislodge defenders or consistently finish through the help.
Definitely quick, but his athleticism is more ground-bound than it is about exploding up. I view Fears similarly to Jaden Ivey, but Ivey had 28 dunks in 36 games a sophomore.
Listed at 6-foot-4, 182 pounds by Oklahoma… I think closer to 6-3… would give him solid, but not great positional size for a point guard. Wingspan was measured at 6-3 in 2023, but likely longer now.
Slowing down a bit more at the rim might help. Would like to see him add some sort of eurostep or sidestep for when he meets length in the paint.
Can have some issues getting downhill when defenders are physical cutting off his first move. I think he has good counters, though.
As a pull-up shooter, the volume again exists (from two and from three) - but the conversion needs to improve. Making 40% (16/40) of his off-the-dribble twos, but only 19.6% (9/46) of his off-the-dribble threes.
Midrange flashes, overall pull-up volume, 84.6 FT%, and in-game confidence make me buy his upside creating his own jumper.
Confident shot-taker. Unafraid to have the ball in his hands in pressure situations. Pulls up out of screens and off the bounce without hesitating. Improvable numbers don’t make him a shy or unwilling shooter, which I can appreciate.
Encouraging pace and understanding of screens with how he gets to his pull-up. Keeps his angles open, especially in the midrange. Useful vs. drop coverages.
Willing, but below average, stationary shooter who has made 31 3P% (13/42) of his catch-and-shoot threes this season. Distribution in terms of spot-ups (42 attempts) and self-created shots (46) from deep is very similar.
Number of makes at 13 is really small, so can’t read too deep into it, but encouraging to an extent…
Can he only be an on-ball guard? How does he scale down next to other playmakers, regardless of their position?
Overall three-point volume can still increase. 31.8% of his total shots are threes. Takes 7.1 threes per 100 possessions.
Capable and creative pick-and-roll playmaker who needs to cut down on turnovers and keep getting stronger. 3.8 AST per game (95 total) vs. 3.7 TOV (92 total) must improve if he is to be an NBA point guard.
25.7 AST% is high on incredible 31.5 USG%, but 1.0 AST/TO ratio is rough.
51.9% of his possessions are in the pick-and-roll (passes included), per Synergy.
Smart at using jump passes, but has to be careful with his accuracy. Still, can be accurate when he leaves his feet on drives or faking a pull-up (can also do this curling or receiving a [D]HO). Needs to be mindful to not telegraph his intentions, though.
Will be able to make short-roll reads in the NBA. Timely pocket passer. Can also release his screeners over the top using those jump passes.
Fast, but not strong, and can struggle to separate when defenders read his first move. Can’t move defenders with his body right now.
Getting stronger will open up more passing reads. Right now, can also struggle to turn the corner on more physical bigs who hedge hard. More muscle will mean more paint touches and more rim pressure.
Must cut down on unforced turnovers and lapses in accuracy. Makes the right read more often than not, but can get rushed in traffic and vs. contact.
Defense:
You aren’t drafting him because of his defense - rather, due to how he can become an advantage creator as a ballhandler and shot-maker - but he at least has to hold up. Needs to improve as a defender since his offensive output at the rim, off the bounce, and as a passer is still shaky.
Strictly a positional defender on guards. Cannot switch onto wings. Limited usage and roles.
Needs to get stronger on this end as well so that he can stay rooted to his spots. Gives up too much ground and can’t contest at the rim. Concedes dribble penetration and paint touches easily. Competing against NBA strength will likely be a huge challenge early on.
Not unexpected for an 18-year-old freshman who’s around 180 pounds, though. Swing skill on defense is whether he can eventually offer more on-ball resistance.
Almost a non-factor, although he can sometimes disrupt catches or play in the passing lanes a bit.
3.4 STL% is pretty good (45 steals5 in 25 games). Those steals usually come when he jumps the lanes or crowds the ballhandler, but these moments come in spurts and he doesn’t carry a defensive impact throughout the game.
No rim protection (3 blocks) at all. That’s fine, but any flashes there are always a big bonus for a guard. Again, though, he’s a speed-based athlete and not really a vertical one.
Has a difficult time navigating screens because of his lack of strength. Can be issue on- and off-ball.
Right now, he’s a mismatch against bulkier, more assertive guards or against switches.
Needs to improve at making multiple efforts, particularly when he gets beat off the dribble. However, I don’t think Oklahoma’s system emphasizes that for him. His motor will be important though, since he won’t have the physical edge.
Off-ball - a little better, but not by much. Lacks engagement. Can make some reads, but creates very few events even when he rotates on time. Important to remember that he carries a huge offensive burden.
Ballwatches, gives up rebounds and cuts, also doesn’t really repeat efforts off-ball to get between his man and the basket…
Ideal situation is to be stashed away on the weakest offensive player who, at the college level, probably won’t be that big/strong/athletic.
At the 2023 Nike Elite 100 Camp
Per Synergy - as of Feb. 17, 2025
Per Bart Torvik