Jeremiah Fears uses a new offensive wrinkle to close out the Wildcats’ rookie season

For a rookie point guard, the speed of the NBA game is often the biggest shock to the system. For rebuilding the New Orleans Pelicans and phenomenal first round pick Jeremiah Fearsthe discovery is learning when to hit the brakes. As the regular season winds down, the 19-year-old says the most important piece of knowledge he’s gained through his first 60 games is mastering the art of deception through rhythm.

That’s why Fears has spent the past few weeks working to capitalize on his elite athleticism rather than simply unleashing it at every turn. At least it was the first thing mentioned when asked why things are going well lately.

“Through my pace, playing with pace. I think two months ago I was just trying to use my speed. Now I’m learning when to use my speed, when to attack and come down, angles of attack, points of attack and knowing where you’re trying to get on the floor. Manipulating the defense,” Strah began. “I think I’ve been doing a pretty good job with that lately since the All-Star break. So I’m just continuing to learn, continuing to slow the game down and make the game a lot easier on myself.”

Early in the season, Fears often tried to beat defenders with sheer acceleration. While that approach has occasionally produced superb plays in transition, it has also led to heavy knocks and hasty decisions in the semi-Test.

The veteran NBA defense quickly adjusted, sitting in driving lanes and forcing the rookie point guard into contested situations. The experience made Fears rethink how he used his physical tools. Instead of attacking every possession at full speed, he began to change pace and wait for defenders to change before accelerating. Customization helped him create a better look for everyone.

“It’s huge. Being able to choose when to use your speed is definitely huge because it’s definitely going to catch defenses off guard,” Fears said. “I’m fast, so most of the time he’ll be thinking like, ‘OK, he’s going to try to go down.’ So they will be scared by my speed.”

Fears force defenders into awkward positions before they can properly line up, creating more favorable angles and open driving lanes than raw speed alone can create. As the Pelicans play the final weeks of a challenging season, the speedster is focused on perfecting that balance. While his playing has grown, the Oklahoma alum remains aware of areas that need polishing.

“I just keep playing at that pace and choose when to use my speed. Maybe on a break or a play where the defense’s head is turned, use your speed,” Fears explained. “The last few games I’ve been turning it over a little bit too much, so I definitely need to cut down on the turnovers. Watch some more film and just make sure I’m still taking care of the ball. Try not to have as many turnovers. At the end of the day, those turnovers could lead to some easy baskets that you can take away and potentially break the game open.”

The Pelicans can handle rookie turnovers, as long as Fears doesn’t play timidly everything should be fine moving forward. He’s averaging 15.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists while shooting 36.1% from three-point range over the past eight games. That’s one way to break through the rookie wall as you shuffle between the starting lineup and a bench role. But statistics don’t tell the whole story. All that really matters is that his all-rookie contribution at this point has shown several franchise characteristics.