The Jeremiah Fears Thread

[Liver_Pooty]

Saw a comparison to Kyrie Irving earlier. He’s nowhere near Irving at the same age. Has anyone that’s watched him a lot think he has any semblance of a chance of being close though ? That I can get behind.

[Diop]

Saw a comparison to Kyrie Irving earlier. He’s nowhere near Irving at the same age. Has anyone that’s watched him a lot think he has any semblance of a chance of being close though ? That I can get behind.

Knew someone would bite. Irving's shooting %s were a lot better, it's more that people can't stay in front of him which he uses to attack in offense.

If he manages to truly excel then "Kyrie like" is the ceiling.
I also said he's a risk, it's more likely he never reaches that high, but that's what you're swinging for.

[GiggitySmalls]

he feels like the risky big swing pick for me.

Hes has NBA level skills. Its not a tidjan type of pick. That pick for us this year would be Maluach.

Sent from my SM-S936U using RealGM mobile app

[JMAC3]

I have a feeling he will be a big riser on draft night.

I mean already a lot of smoke about him going top 5, I think him being the big riser has already happened.

[yosemiteben]

I have a feeling he will be a big riser on draft night.

I mean already a lot of smoke about him going top 5, I think him being the big riser has already happened.

I personally find the concept of prospects "rising" and "falling" to generally be a media driven narrative ("they're rising because we had him lower in our last mock draft than we do in our current one"). Who knows how long FOs and scouting departments have prioritized players and what their boards look like.

[Bassman]

Sam Vecenie from his annual draft guide on Fears:

SUMMARY: I’m going to be lower on Fears than probably anybody in the public sphere, although his stock is much more split among NBA decision-makers than what the public would lead you to believe. At the end of the day, the reason for this is that with small, on-ball-only players — and I believe that’s what he is — you either buy into them as potential All-Star lead guards or you don’t. If you don’t, you probably see them as more likely to be bench scorers, which diminishes their value drastically. Think about how narrow that line is for Collin Sexton, who had a more impressive freshman season at Alabama than Fears did at Oklahoma. Sexton has developed into a lights-out shooter and works hard on defense. But because he’s so small, he isn’t quite good enough as a passer and struggles to defend. He’s never been part of a winning team as a starting guard.

With how I evaluate players and value the ability to dribble, pass, shoot and defend on top of having positional size, Fears ultimately doesn’t clear the line because of his shooting struggles, finishing problems and significant defensive deficiencies. I don’t deny that Fears is likely going to be a productive NBA player at some point. There’s a solid chance he averages more than 17 points and five assists per game eventually. He’s that crafty and skilled as a ballhandler. It’s exceptionally difficult to stay in front of him.

However, I think we’re probably quite a long way away from that occurring given how young he is. More importantly, there is such a narrow path toward winning in the NBA with this type of player in a prominent role. His development essentially has to go perfectly from this point for him to be an All-Star, or else he’s probably coming off the bench on a good team. Maybe he will continue to work his way into being that player, and I’ll look stupid for having him here. It’s entirely possible. Ultimately, though, he is the kind of player that I’m very comfortable missing out on.

[MPM]

Sam Vecenie from his annual draft guide on Fears:

SUMMARY: I’m going to be lower on Fears than probably anybody in the public sphere, although his stock is much more split among NBA decision-makers than what the public would lead you to believe. At the end of the day, the reason for this is that with small, on-ball-only players — and I believe that’s what he is — you either buy into them as potential All-Star lead guards or you don’t. If you don’t, you probably see them as more likely to be bench scorers, which diminishes their value drastically. Think about how narrow that line is for Collin Sexton, who had a more impressive freshman season at Alabama than Fears did at Oklahoma. Sexton has developed into a lights-out shooter and works hard on defense. But because he’s so small, he isn’t quite good enough as a passer and struggles to defend. He’s never been part of a winning team as a starting guard.

With how I evaluate players and value the ability to dribble, pass, shoot and defend on top of having positional size, Fears ultimately doesn’t clear the line because of his shooting struggles, finishing problems and significant defensive deficiencies. I don’t deny that Fears is likely going to be a productive NBA player at some point. There’s a solid chance he averages more than 17 points and five assists per game eventually. He’s that crafty and skilled as a ballhandler. It’s exceptionally difficult to stay in front of him.

However, I think we’re probably quite a long way away from that occurring given how young he is. More importantly, there is such a narrow path toward winning in the NBA with this type of player in a prominent role. His development essentially has to go perfectly from this point for him to be an All-Star, or else he’s probably coming off the bench on a good team. Maybe he will continue to work his way into being that player, and I’ll look stupid for having him here. It’s entirely possible. Ultimately, though, he is the kind of player that I’m very comfortable missing out on.

I seem to be more aligned with Sam than many here. Far too big a risk for me. I see the skill and upside - like Fears as a player - but the potential downside is significant.

[MasterIchiro]

Saw a comparison to Kyrie Irving earlier. He’s nowhere near Irving at the same age. Has anyone that’s watched him a lot think he has any semblance of a chance of being close though ? That I can get behind.

He said in an interview he models his game after Kyrie.

The handles, the craftiness around the rim. He drew fouls at a better rate than Flagg, Harper, Edgecombe, Tre Johnson, Kon.

No flopping. No cheapies. The ball is glued to him and he's quick with his change of direction and change of pace.

He can't shoot like Kyrie.

[Chapelchilla]

I don't like tiny guards who seem weak too. But , he could still grow. Trade down candidate.

[MasterIchiro]

I don't like tiny guards who seem weak too. But , he could still grow. Trade down candidate.

Fears uses his body and has strength for his weight. He's already putting on muscle.

Strength/muscle bulking is not a skill. Anybody can work on conditioning.

He's from Joliet, IL. Any idea how rough it is?

He's a street-baller like Kemba.

[JMAC3]

Read on Twitter

[fatlever]

fears vs tre mann comps?
how do they compare in terms of drives, shooting, playmaking, ft rate, passing. definitely see lots of similarities.

fears absolute floor as peak ramon sessions, a guy who made a living driving into paint, getting to ft line, could pass, but never shoot good enough to start? fair or unfair?

[MasterIchiro]

Read on Twitter

I know what I see here when I watch him. Hopefully Peterson sees the same.

[Chapelchilla]

Maybe as a trade down target but he looks small , kinda slow and short for 4.

[JMAC3]

Maybe as a trade down target but he looks small , kinda slow and short for 4.

Slow? what player are you watching lol

Read on Twitter

Also, third fastest 3/4 court sprint at combine.
https://www.nba.com/stats/draft/combine-strength-agility?dir=A&sort=THREE_QUARTER_SPRINT

[MasterIchiro]

Yup, he can get anywhere with his speed and agility and handles package, and he has strength for his size. Knows how to use it. Draws fouls better than anyone in the top-5 discussion. Shot 36% off the catch.

[Chapelchilla]

I said he LOOKS kinda slow. Apparently it's the Luka style pace changes pg style. I have nothing against Fears if we trade down.

[MasterIchiro]

I said he LOOKS kinda slow. Apparently it's the Luka style pace changes pg style. I have nothing against Fears if we trade down.

His FTR is .518 because he gets downhill by changing direction quickly. We are not talking straight line burst/speed. We are talking agility with the ball in his hand which even the quickest defenders can't keep him away from the paint. His fat foul attempt rate illustrates how he speeds up defenders. They can't stay in front of him.

Edgecombe has straight line speed which relies on transition scoring scenarios where he moves before the defense is set. Defenders can't stay in front of Fears in halfcourt sets.

[amcoolio]

Don't know much about him but he looks like Kemba Walker in those clips

[MasterIchiro]

Don't know much about him but he looks like Kemba Walker in those clips

Kemba is in player development for us for prospects like Fears.

I think they're a match. Kemba worked tirelessly on his shot.