The New Orleans Pelicans may not be viewed as Finals contenders heading into the season, but the roster still has plenty of talent for the new coaching staff to work with. That was reflected in The Athletic’s latest position rankings, where two Pelicans guards landed inside Zach Harper’s top 40 at the spot.
Jeremiah Fears checked in at No. 37 among point guards, putting him in the bottom tier of the list. That’s not exactly elite company, but it is still notable for a player entering just his second year. Harper’s rankings also included guards drafted ahead of or near Fears, though Tre Johnson and Egor Demin had not appeared on the list yet.
Fears showed enough as a rookie to earn that recognition. He proved early that he could score at the NBA level, getting to his spots and knocking down shots.
The next step was less about scoring and more about running the offense. His growth as a passer and his feel for when to move the ball improved at a strong rate over the course of his first season.
In 19 games as a 19-year-old rookie, Fears averaged 14.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per night. That production was enough to get him into the top 40 conversation.
He’s got the skill. Now the challenge is sharpening it and becoming a proven starter by the end of his sophomore season.
Dejounte Murray landed much higher at No. 21, and that placement speaks to how much respect he still commands when healthy. He hasn’t played much over the last two years, which has made it easy for people to forget how good he can be. At his best, Murray remains one of the league’s top two-way guards.
His 14-game return didn’t fully capture that level, especially with staggered minutes and no back-to-backs, but it still gave New Orleans something to build on. The Pelicans looked their best with Murray on the floor, and he brought efficiency on offense while making a real defensive impact. That kind of guard play had been hard to find for New Orleans before.
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For the Pelicans, that matters because they are counting on Missi to anchor the defense and likely open the upcoming NBA season as the starting center. His growth is not just about numbers in a qualifying game, either. It is about whether he can translate that confidence and conditioning into a bigger role in New Orleans, where a steadier Missi could make the front line look a lot more stable. [Read more 🡒]