JEREMIAH Fears

Fears showed up every night last season. He played all 82 games and averaged 25.8 minutes. He put up 14.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He added 1.2 steals and 0.4 blocks. The efficiency numbers leave room to grow. He shot 43.4 percent from the field, 33.0 percent from three and 78.9 percent at the line. His true shooting percentage was 52.5. He also carried a real load, with a usage rate of 24.5, and he turned it over 2.2 times a game. His plus-minus was -3.5 per game. For a guard that young, that line reads like a starting point: a big role and solid availability, with shooting and ball security as the next steps.

The end of last season showed his ceiling. Fears scored 40 points in 37.8 minutes in a win over Utah. He scored 36 points with 10 rebounds against Minnesota in 41.4 minutes. He scored 36 more against Boston in 44.0 minutes. He also had 28 points and 8 rebounds against Sacramento, 21 points against Portland and 19 points with 7 assists against Orlando. The minutes are the story. He averaged 25.8 for the season, but in that closing stretch he regularly played well past 36 minutes and handled the offense. New Orleans lost most of those games. Still, those April games showed he can carry the scoring load when the minutes are there. The question for 2026-27 is how much of that holds up with a full rotation around him.

Per a report dated 2026-10-20, the Pelicans exercised options on Fears, Queen and Missi. That report tells you how the organization views him after one season: as part of the plan. Another headline from the same day credits the move to the Grizzlies, but Fears is on the Pelicans roster. Treat the option news as reported until the team's own transaction notice confirms it. Either way, nothing about his status changes for this season. He is on the roster, he is healthy, and his role was clear in the October games. The bigger questions are about growth. Can a better three-point percentage and fewer turnovers turn a volume scorer into an efficient one?

Watch three things. First, his shooting. He hit 33.0 percent from three and posted a 52.5 true shooting percentage last season. Better marks there would make his 24.5 usage rate pay off. Second, turnovers. He gave it away 2.2 times a game against 3.4 assists. A better ratio would make him a more reliable lead guard. Third, his minutes. His October games ran from 17.3 to 22.0 minutes, well short of his 25.8 average last season. A bigger share, closer to what he got in April, would show how much the coaching staff trusts him. He has already shown he can stay on the floor. The opener is the next test, and the season will show whether last year's numbers were his floor.