{"id":578505,"date":"2026-02-03T01:19:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T01:19:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/578505\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T01:19:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T01:19:13","slug":"jeremiah-fears-maps-out-nba-all-star-plans-for-derik-queen-clash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/578505\/","title":{"rendered":"Jeremiah Fears maps out NBA All-Star plans for Derik Queen clash"},"content":{"rendered":"

For a rookie trying to establish himself in the NBA rotation, an All-Star Weekend invite represents both validation and a measuring stick. It’s a process that has broken plenty of lottery picks, so James Borrego helped Jeremiah Fears map<\/a> out the plan right after the NBA Draft. Fortunately for the rebuilding New Orleans Pelicans<\/a>, there was even room for Derik Queen<\/a> in the Rising Stars worthy rollout.<\/p>\n

Fears was all smiles<\/a> when talking about the payoff recently.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s pretty exciting,\u201d Fears began. \u201cI came in in July and that was one of the goals, that and just help our team, do all we can to kind of put ourselves in a position like this to be (in the NBA Rising Stars game). So it’s super exciting. The feeling and emotion hadn’t really kicked in yet. I’m pretty sure it will once we get out there and step on the court for the first time but super excited for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for his game plan on the court, Fears emphasizes enjoyment over everything else. The Rising Stars format, which pits top rookies and sophomores against each other in a mini-tournament, offers a low-stakes environment to showcase skills. Fears intends to make the most of it, especially with a familiar face on the opposing side.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust going out there and having fun, playing against DQ a little bit, and showing everyone what we’re capable of\u2026continue to enjoy every single second, every single moment, and take all of it in,\u201d explained Fears. \u201cWe know we’ll be there (in the NBA All-Star Game<\/a>) in a couple of years.\u201d<\/p>\n

That \u201cDQ\u201d refers to fellow Pelicans rookie Derik Queen, who also received an invite. Sharing the experience with a teammate from the same draft class adds a special layer to the weekend for Fears. It’s a testament to their quick integration into the team and the support from veterans.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels really good. Two rookies came in the same class and our teammates believed in us,\u201d noted Fears. \u201cThey did a really good thing in getting us here as well\u2026We’re really excited to get out there and show everyone what we are capable of.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, the duo won’t be teaming up in the game; Queen landed on the opposite squad.<\/p>\n

Pelicans risk friendly fire<\/p>\n

Fears takes it in stride, viewing it as an opportunity to amp up the entertainment value. While they’ll compete fiercely during the event, their bond remains unbreakable.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is what it is,\u201d Fears shrugged. \u201cWe can’t control it\u2026we are definitely going to go at each other and compete. At the end of the day, once All-Star weekend is over, we’re going to get back on the same page and we’ll be family again. If we’re on opposite teams, we’ve got to go at each other and make it fun. Give the fans something to laugh about and actually be excited about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Interim head coach James Borrego echoes the pride surrounding the rookies’ achievements. Under his guidance, Fears and Queen have thrived.<\/p>\n

\u201cProud of them, they’ve got a great start to bright futures,\u201d Borrego began. \u201cTheir best days are in front of them, but they made the most of their opportunity. They deserve it; they belong there. I’m thrilled for them, and they are going to do great. Congrats to them and their families. That’s a big deal no matter where you are drafted or undrafted. To make that (NBA Rising Stars) game is a major accomplishment.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Fears, All-Star Weekend isn’t just a celebration\u2026it’s a stepping stone. His mapped-out approach blends gratitude, competitiveness, and forward-thinking ambition. And if his confidence holds in a new role, a full All-Star nod might not be far off.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For a rookie trying to establish himself in the NBA rotation, an All-Star Weekend invite represents both validation…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":578506,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[7,803,1285,983,6,7218,12,1286,470,2144],"class_list":{"0":"post-578505","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba-draft","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-derik-queen","10":"tag-editorials","11":"tag-jeremiah-fears","12":"tag-nba","13":"tag-nba-all-star-game","14":"tag-nba-draft","15":"tag-nba-editorials","16":"tag-new-orleans-pelicans","17":"tag-reporting"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116004072326179880","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=578505"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578505\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/578506"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=578505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=578505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=578505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}