Jeremy Fears put together the best season of his Michigan State career, leading the team in both points and assists while also pacing the entire country with 9.4 assists per game. Now he is testing the NBA waters.
Fears has declared for the 2026 NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility, a move that allows him to gather feedback from professional evaluators without fully committing to leaving East Lansing. The declaration comes as a natural next step for a player who arrived at Michigan State as a McDonald’s All-American with NBA potential, provided he continued to develop his game at the college level. That development has clearly taken place.
ESPN’s Jeremy Woo recently released his top 100 NBA Draft prospect rankings, placing Fears 73rd on the big board. At that position, Fears sits on the fringe of the draft. He could hear his name called, but he could just as easily go undrafted and pursue a roster spot as an undrafted free agent.
The Case for Declaring
The argument for Fears testing the draft process starts with what he accomplished this season. Just two years after being shot in the leg over Christmas break, Fears averaged a career-high 15.2 points and 9.4 assists per game, earned first-team All-Big Ten honors, and was named a second-team All-American. That resume reflects a player who has done everything asked of him and earned the right to explore his professional prospects.
His game translates in meaningful ways at the next level. At 6-foot-2, Fears is considered undersized for an NBA guard, but his craftiness more than compensates. He attacks the basket effectively, draws contact consistently, and averaged six free throw attempts per game as a result.
The Spartans plays the University of Connecticut on Friday evening. | Eric Seals / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
As a passer, he is a true floor general, running pick-and-roll action, finding cutters, and locating shooters before defenders can recover. He averaged 1.3 steals per game on the defensive end, where his quickness and instincts make him a disruptive presence.
The Case For Coming Back
Despite an outstanding season, there are areas of Fears’s game that would benefit from another year in East Lansing.
Michigan State lost the game 67-63. | Eric Seals / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
His three-point shooting remains a liability. Fears shot just 32 percent from beyond the arc this season, and NBA teams will not hesitate to exploit that weakness at the next level. Improving his efficiency and consistency as a perimeter shooter would significantly strengthen his draft stock heading into the following year’s class.
There is also a maturity component that needs to be addressed. Fears drew criticism from fans and analysts this season after a series of plays that resulted in technical and flagrant fouls, leading to a reputation as a physical and at times undisciplined player.
That label, fair or not, will come up in NBA front office evaluations. Returning to Michigan State and demonstrating growth in that area could go a long way toward erasing the perception before it becomes a narrative that follows him to the next level.
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