Jeremy Fears Jr. didn’t need long to change the conversation.
Three games into the season, the Michigan State guard has gone from a question mark on some draft boards to a name people are starting to throw into first-round territory for the 2027 NBA Draft. That’s the kind of jump that doesn’t happen without a real statement, and Fears has made one early.
The shift has been dramatic. After Michigan State’s exhibition letdown, plenty of people were ready to cool on the Spartans.
Three games later, the mood has flipped, and Fears is a huge reason why. He’s gone from being doubted as a future pro to drawing buzz as a player who could hear his name called in the first round two years from now.
Sam Vecenie put it plainly on November 12, 2026: “Just finishing final notes write up on Duke-Michigan State from last night and I think we're going to end up in a world where Jeremy Fears Jr. is a first round pick in 2027. What he did to Boumtje-Boumtje last night in ball-screens should be illegal.
Awesome leader. Great player”
That kind of praise lines up with what Fears has done on the floor. He entered the draft process this past offseason to gather feedback, then stayed in until the final hour before the withdrawal deadline because he believed he had done enough to be selected. Instead, he came back to Michigan State, trusting the program and betting on himself to raise his stock.
So far, that bet is paying off.
Fears came into the year with preseason All-American and national player of the year buzz, but not much first-round chatter. That part always felt odd, especially considering how close he came to staying in the 2026 draft. Now, after three games, the draft talk is catching up to the player.
The numbers help explain why. Fears is the nation’s top passer at 10.3 assists per game, he’s Michigan State’s leading scorer, and he’s shooting 45.8 percent from the field, his best mark since his true freshman season before that year was cut short and he averaged just 15.3 minutes per game.
The shooting, as the source of the buzz notes, will come. Everything else is already trending up.
He’s improved in every category, and that’s what has people moving him up boards.
The case for Fears as a first-rounder is becoming harder to ignore. If anything, the argument now is how high he should go. The source makes the point bluntly: he deserves more than first-round consideration - he belongs in the lottery.
For Tom Izzo, none of this is exactly a surprise. He’s been calling Fears his Mateen Cleaves 2.0 for a couple of years, and while he’s always said the guard had some Mateen in him, there was still work to do before that comparison really stuck.
Now? It’s getting harder to dismiss.
Fears is being described as perhaps the best leader Izzo has had since Mateen, and there’s even a chance he finishes as one of the top one or two point guards Izzo has ever coached. That’s no small label at Michigan State, where Izzo has coached Mateen Cleaves, Drew Neitzel, Kalin Lucas, Denzel Valentine, and Cassius Winston.
Fears may wind up near the top of that group. He brings leadership, toughness, and the kind of teammate value coaches love, but the bigger story is that he’s even better as a player than he is as a leader.
He can create shots, set up teammates, and defend at an elite level. In the source’s view, he’s as complete a point guard as Izzo has coached in nearly 27 years.
And that’s where the conversation ends up: Jeremy Fears Jr. isn’t just building a strong season. He’s forcing people to rethink where he belongs in the NBA conversation.
In Other News...
Tom Izzo Sends A Clear Message After Michigan State Stuns Duke
Michigan States win over No. 2 Duke in the Champions Classic gave the Spartans an early-season jolt, and Tom Izzo made sure to frame it as more than just a headline result. With his team off to a 3-0 start, the veteran coach spent his postgame media session praising Dukes quality while also crediting his own group for the way it handled the moment, a reminder that this was the kind of November test he has long wanted for his program.
Izzo also touched on individual performances from across the roster, using the night as a snapshot of where Michigan State is and where it still needs to grow. He even nodded to the football teams recent win over Michigan, tying the moment into a bigger stretch of momentum around campus, while leaving the larger question hanging on how far this basketball team can carry that early confidence. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Faces One Early Test After Its Duke Statement
Michigan State gets right back to work at home after its statement win over Duke, and the early-season buzz around the Spartans has only grown with a 3-0 start and a No. 5 ranking. Northern Iowa arrives with a 2-1 record, giving Tom Izzos team another chance to show that the win over the Blue Devils was not just a one-night surge but part of a real early rhythm.
The matchup also offers a different kind of test, because Michigan State now has to handle the expectations that come with being ranked this high while still sorting out what kind of team it wants to be. Northern Iowa has already shown enough to suggest it can make things uncomfortable, so this is the sort of game that can reveal whether the Spartans are staying sharp or settling in after the Duke high. [Read more 🡒]
Carson Cooper Is Already Fighting For His NBA Role
Carson Coopers pro path has taken another turn, and this one gives him a clearer place to prove he belongs. The former Michigan State center has signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers after previously being with the Memphis Grizzlies, setting him up to split time between the NBA roster and the teams G-League affiliate.
For a player trying to carve out a long-term role, the opportunity is as important as the jersey change. Cooper enters a crowded frontcourt as a backup center behind Walker Kessler and Kevon Looney, and he takes the spot vacated when Lawson Lovering was waived to make room for him. [Read more 🡒]