Would Jeremiah Fears Fit With The Utah Jazz?
May 29, 2025, 4:04 PM | Updated: May 30, 2025, 9:56 am
Jeremiah Fears #0 of the Oklahoma Sooners (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY—After the Utah Jazz fell to the fifth pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, one name they’ll monitor closely is Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears.
The Jazz had a 52.1 percent chance of landing one of the top four picks in the draft, but slipped to fifth in the lottery.
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Jeremiah Fears Scouting Report
Bio: 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists: .434/.284/.851
Oklahoma – Point Guard – 18 years old on draft night
Strengths: After reclassifying in high school, Fears is one of the youngest players in the draft, and won’t turn until after the NBA preseason.
Despite being nearly a year younger than most other players in the 2025 freshman class, Fears was incredibly productive, leading Oklahoma in points, assists, and steals per game, while recording the third-highest rebounding average on the roster.
The guard is a potent offensive weapon with the ball in his hands due to his quick first step, strong control as a ball handler, and willingness to embrace contact to get to the free-throw line.
JEREMIAH FEARS 🗣️ SOONERS UP 1!
5.6 to play! pic.twitter.com/IQM1uReeWL
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_MBBall) March 14, 2025
Even at well under 200 lbs, Fears initiates physicality in the lane, allowing him to get his shot off over bigger defenders, or earn trips to the charity stripe, where he attempted double-digit free throws seven times in 34 college appearances.
With a more adept pick-and-roll big, there is likely another gear to Fears’ game as a downhill player that wasn’t readily apparent on the Sooners roster.
Due to his comfort as a ball handler, Fears was able to find teammates with a variety of crosscourt passes once he collapsed the defense, generating open threes and closeout opportunities.
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Defensively, the 18-year-old is far more attentive than most high-scoring guards, and rarely seems disengaged on that end of the floor.
Fears 4.1 rebounds per game were a surprisingly high average for a player his size and reflect his willingness to engage in the game physically, despite his still-developing frame.
The guard is by no means an elite defender, but his effort level and spatial awareness indicate that he may not be a complete liability every moment he’s on the court.
Fears had some truly star-level performances throughout his lone college season and routinely played his best in the most important moments of games.
Weaknesses: Unfortunately for Fears, his biggest weaknesses, size and shooting, also happen to be the two areas the NBA is prioritizing most in 2025.
The guard measured in at 6-foot-2.5 in socks with a 6-foot-5.25 wingspan, and weighing just 180 lbs.
Jeremiah Fears’ measurements stack up favorably with those of Darius Garland from the DX historical database. Generate their offense in different ways, but the way Garland’s body has improved bodes well for Fears’ outlook. pic.twitter.com/VXVJVf6Mgw
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 14, 2025
While those measurements aren’t disqualifying as an NBA player, Fears will be at a size disadvantage nearly every night he steps on the floor, and doesn’t have the bulky body type that allows other smaller players (Jalen Brunson) to survive in the league.
Furthermore, the guard shot just 28 percent from the three-point line in college and hasn’t been a dangerous shooter at any point during his basketball career.
Fears’ 85 percent free-throw success rate and passable catch-and-shoot numbers (mid-30s) may indicate that there is some untapped shooting potential, but it’s almost entirely theoretical at this point.
Additionally, the guard struggled to finish in the paint at college, and shouldn’t expect to see that number improve early in his NBA career. Fears was easily dislodged off his driving lane against stronger defenders, resulting in difficult finishes falling away from the basket, rather than trending toward the rim.
Jeremiah Fears three-point shooting
Form looks good, but struggled to get hot pic.twitter.com/lrggVRipmb
— Bijan Todd (@bijan_todd) May 13, 2025
Though the guard was a willing defender, his size prevented him from having any real impact on that level, and he will need to get far stronger before he can match up with starting-level guards at the next level.
Fears turned the ball over far too often at Oklahoma, committing 3.4 giveaways per game to just 4.1 assists. Due to the large burden he carried offensively, some of the mistakes can be forgiven, but there’s a reasonable chance the mistakes follow him throughout his NBA career due to his lack of size and good-but-not-great court vision.
How Would Jeremiah Fears Fit With The Jazz?
If the Jazz are deadset on swinging for a star in the draft, Fears fits the bill as a high-scoring, lead ball handler who could one day be one of the team’s top two scoring options.
The guard shares some similarities to current Jazzman Isaiah Collier, but is far shiftier with the ball in his hands, despite being a less creative passer on his drives.
Due to their size and shooting limitations, it’s unlikely Collier and Fears could ever share the floor, which may limit the ability to develop them both early in their Jazz careers.
An updated look at the @utahjazz‘s future draft assets after today’s three-for-draft draft swap. #TakeNote https://t.co/FCy7v4zvez
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 22, 2025
Similarly, Fears would do little to alleviate the Jazz’s poor backcourt shooting numbers, with Collier and Keyonte George both shooting below 35 percent from the perimeter.
If the Jazz are comfortable taking a longer-term approach to the rebuild, aren’t committed to the current young players on the roster, and feel Fears is the best player available in the draft, they shouldn’t hesitate to select him.
With other high-level players with fewer overlapping weaknesses projected to be on the board at five, however, the team may prefer to move in a different direction.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky.
