Jeremiah

Fears

Murray suffered a ruptured right Achilles tendon during a late-January game against the Celtics. While other Pelicans who suffered season-ending injuries, most notably Trey Murphy and Herb Jones, have been cleared to resume basketball activities and have scrimmaged, Murray has not. And with the guard lacking a timeline to return, his value in fantasy drafts will take a significant hit. In addition to acquiring Jordan Poole from the Wizards this offseason, the Pelicans still have Jose Alvarado, and first-round pick Jeremiah Fears may have the opportunity to earn rotation minutes while Murray continues his rehab.

While Fears did match his summer league turnover average in Friday’s defeat, committing five, he was more productive in the assist category. The lottery pick dished out four assists in New Orleans’ summer finale, and he was also productive in the points, rebounds and steals categories. Once the regular season begins, Fears won’t be under similar pressure to balance getting his shots and setting up his teammates. Also, he’ll be playing with and against better players. Given Fears’ age, as he won’t turn 19 until October, it’s unsurprising that he was inconsistent in Las Vegas.

Fears had a rough day on Saturday, shooting below 25 percent from the field and going 1-of-7 from beyond the arc. However, the rookie’s failure to record an assist may be more concerning for the Pelicans. Efficiency was occasionally an issue for Fears during his lone season at Oklahoma, but he still averaged 4.1 assists per game. The lottery pick has totaled two assists through two games in Las Vegas. Regardless of how many more games he plays this month, Fears has to create better opportunities for his teammates.

Fears’s unofficial Pelicans debut wasn’t the cleanest, as he was responsible for seven turnovers. That said, the former Oklahoma standout did use his handle to get to his preferred spots on the floor, even if he did not shoot the ball as well as he’s capable of. Fears will undoubtedly be a player to target in dynasty league drafts, but he joins a crowded perimeter rotation in New Orleans. The addition of Jordan Poole will help the Pelicans account for Dejounte Murray (Achilles) being out, and they also have Jose Alvarado to log rotation minutes at the point.

Sure, there are concerns about Fears after some inefficient play at Oklahoma, but he has loads of potential. Fears averaged 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game as an 18-year-old as the focal point of the offense in arguably the toughest conference in the NCAA. He’s a bit undersized, and there are questions about how he’ll impact the game defensively, but Fears is an intriguing offensive talent with the ability to run an offense and create his own shot, both at the rim and from beyond the arc. There aren’t many players in this draft that can get to the rim like Fears. The fit with the Pelicans is a bit curious given the team just traded for a point guard in Jordan Poole and already had Dejounte Murray.