Michigan State fans knew that Jeremy Fears Jr. was going to turn some heads during this “testing the waters” process ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft, but they probably didn’t expect it to happen this quickly.
After measurement day and some agility and athleticism drills at the NBA Combine, Wednesday featured scrimmages. Players were divided up into four teams and Fears joined forces with Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn. Competing against the best of the best is kind of where Fears thrives which is why his breakout performance wasn’t all that shocking.
The Michigan State point guard scored 17 points with five assists, three rebounds, and two steals. He also shot an efficient 5-for-7 from the field and 1-for-2 from deep.
Fears protected the ball, ran the fastbreak, played some pesky defense, and showcased his newfound scoring ability that sprouted during the 2025-26 season. This performance will likely improve his draft stock which might be slightly concerning for the Spartans seeing as Divine Ugochukwu just transferred to LSU and Carlos Medlock Jr. is just a freshman.
There’s no real backup plan.
Tom Izzo recently expressed confidence that Fears would be back for his junior season, but that was before his Combine scrimmage performance and a recent NBA mock draft projecting him to go in round two to the Suns. Is there some concern growing?
No need to panic about Jeremy Fears — yet
If I’m going to put a percentage on Fears’ return in 2026-27, I would say it’s somewhere around 95. Obviously this could be way off, but judging by the fact that he would likely make more at Michigan State next season than he would as a second-rounder who would likely be bounced back and forth between the NBA and the G-League, I think his return is about as close to a lock as you can get.
Again, this is just my educated opinion and I have no inside info regarding this situation, but it wouldn’t make a ton of sense for Fears to leave if he’s given a potential second-round grade.
Come back, lead one of the most talented rosters in the country to a Big Ten title and contend for a national title, break the Big Ten assists record (and his own MSU record), add a consistent jumper, win Big Ten and national player of the year, and become one of the best point guards to ever don the green and white. That’s what’s waiting for him if he returns.
The NBA can wait a year or two. It’ll still be there. Perfect your craft, play with your friends for another year or two, and enter the league more polished with maybe a couple more rings on your fingers.
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