Willie Green highlights a Pelicans player who's on his way to superstardom: "There's not many people that can do what he's doing at 18 years old"

The 2025 NBA draft didn’t bring too many surprises. Consensus number one overall pick Cooper Flagg was selected by the Dallas Mavericks, VJ Edgecombe found a home in Philadelphia, Ace Bailey was taken in the top-five.

But when it was the New Orleans Pelicans’ turn to call a name at pick number seven, they turned the NBA world on its head by selecting University of Oklahoma product Jeremiah Fears. It wasn’t because Fears wasn’t a great prospect with tremendous upside, it was because there were other notable names like Khaman Maluach still on the board.

The franchise saw something in Fears, more so than the previous six franchises that selected before them. They saw a prospect that was unafraid of the moment, a dynamic shot creator that had a ceiling unlike most in his class.

Fast forward four months and head coach Willie Green couldn’t be more excited about what the future holds.

Fears impresses in preseason

The Pelicans have had an unconventional preseason this summer. Instead of staying in Louisiana, they kicked off their ramp up on the other side of the world, making the over 16-hour trip to Melbourne, Australia.

In the land down under they played two exhibition games against local powerhouses Melbourne United and South East Melbourne Phoenix – both which gave Fears a unique platform to showcase his talents in a FIBA-style setting.

While the 18-year-old struggled to shoot the ball in the first game, going just 3-for-15, his handle in the pick-and-roll, combined with his shot creation and overall liveliness on offense, was a standout takeaway. He followed that up with 12 points and three assists in the Pelicans’ second outing, connecting on 50 percent of his shots from the field in just 23 minutes as a +15 on the floor.

Green’s excitement

It’s hard to predict how players will perform once they get drafted. While Fears left a sour taste in some analysts’ mouths following a largely underwhelming Summer League, it’s clear he’s been in the lab and getting more comfortable in a professional environment every single day.

For a one-and-done lottery pick out of college, their adjustment to the NBA demands and physical toll usually take time. Even still, with all the challenges and on this occasion being asked to perform in front of an international audience, it proved no problem for the Chicago native.

Given his clear improvements since suiting up for the University of Oklahoma, Basketball Network’s Senior Writer Damien Peters was keen to get Coach Green’s insight into what he’s looking forward to the most about his future.

“He’s going to continue to improve. I was excited about his aggressiveness, he doesn’t back down from any challenge. He missed a few shots and made some mistakes, but that’s part of the game. I pulled him aside and told him there’s not many people that can do what he’s doing at 18 years old. Stay confident about what you’re doing, keep attacking, and he’ll continue to get better, continue to improve as we progress,” he said.

Although the Pelicans were missing Herb Jones and Dejounte Murray, it was notable that Fears was the first player off the bench in their first preseason game and started their second one in place of Trey Murphy III who was held out.

Some players in his draft will need to wait for their moment to make a name for themselves, but going by Green’s comments, it feels as though Fears will be in the thick of the rotation as New Orleans fights to make the playoffs.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 6, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Willie Green highlights a Pelicans player who’s on his way to superstardom: “There’s not many people that can do what he’s doing at 18 years old”

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