Before the season, one of the knocks on Michigan State was that it didn’t have any surefire future pros on the roster. Jaxon Kohler and Coen Carr would have had to improve drastically to reach that status, but they were still fringe NBA guys, according to just about everyone. Boy how things have changed in the span of a few months.
Not only do Kohler and Carr look like they could play in the NBA with a little more polishing (there are a few months to do that), but Carson Cooper and now Jeremy Fears are drawing NBA hype.
Cooper is one of those guys who wasn’t even considered an NBA prospect even six months ago, but now he’s looking like an elite defender who moves incredibly well for a 7-footer. He can defend out to the perimeter and doesn’t get beat to the basket often off the dribble. Cooper is an athletic big man who can defend at a high level and who’s an elite lob threat.
Fears, too, is drawing some NBA hype lately. One Big Ten analyst teased the idea of Fears heading to the NBA by saying he could “mess around” and get drafted in the first round.
Jeremy Fears Jr. is averaging 17 & 8 on 48% fg shooting in conference games.
— Rapheal Davis (@RaphealDavis3) January 29, 2026
Averaging 23 & 13 the last two games.
All while being one of the best defenders in the country. Dude is having an incredible season. Mess around and get drafted 1st round he keeps hooping like this. https://t.co/F2FXZVR4OV
Although I don’t see that happening yet for Fears because he doesn’t have the consistent jumper, I would not be shocked to see him leave after his junior year if he continues to grow at this rate.
Jeremy Fears’ growth has been mind-blowing
Fears went from missing the second half of his freshman season after getting tragically shot in the leg while at home during Christmas break to shaking off the rust as a redshirt freshman. He was a solid point guard last season for the Big Ten champion Spartans, but he still had room to grow.
Now, as the leader of the team and arguably the best player on the roster, Fears is playing like an All-American for the No. 7 team in the country that’s one win away from a program-record start.
Fears went from averaging 7.2 points and 5.4 assists while shooting a fraction under 40 percent from the floor in 2024-25 to averaging 14.1 points and 8.9 assists and he’s now converting on over 45 percent of his field goals. His 3-point numbers are down slightly, but his free throw shooting has been darn near automatic. He went from a 73 percent shooting to a 90 percent shooter in one year.
I don’t know if he’s ready for the league just yet, but he’s rapidly growing into an NBA prospect.