Jeremy Fears Jr. Walks Through NBA Decision, Return to MSU
In this story:
HOLT, Mich. -- Moments before an NBA Draft began that Jeremy Fears Jr. could've been a part of, he was playing a Moneyball Pro-Am game at Holt High School.
Fears made the big decision on the night of May 27 to remove his name from the NBA Draft roughly 90 minutes before the deadline to return to Michigan State for another year. The expectation the whole time Fears went through the process was that he would come back to MSU, but he was closer than it seemed to going.
The Feedback Fears Got
Plenty of teams showed interest in Fears during the process. He flashed some abilities during the NBA Combine, and Fears said Tuesday that he had eight total workouts with NBA teams.
"It was good feedback," Fears said. "Everybody was really interested. They liked me. I think, honestly, it could have went either way. I was able to stay in and do more workouts and give myself a little more time [in case] something special could've happened. But at the same time, I'm grateful to be back with my guys and doing [Moneyball]."
Charlotte transfer Anton Bonke revealed on Tuesday that he and Fears were at the same workout together with the Milwaukee Bucks. Bonke also withdrew from the draft on the day of the deadline, but there was never really a doubt that he'd end up coming to Michigan State after he committed out of the transfer portal.
The goal for Fears is still, of course, to reach the pros eventually. His brother, Jeremiah Fears, was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and recently wrapped up his rookie season with the New Orleans Pelicans. It's still the best league on Earth.
"It's still, to this day, my dream," Fears said about his NBA aspirations. "My goal is to play professional basketball, and I was able to play with the best and compete with the best. I think I belong, and I'm an NBA player."
Fears very well may have wanted to go pro. This wasn't just a feeling-out process for him, especially after the combine. His draft stock just never really rose into first-round territory. It probably didn't help Fears' case that this year's draft class is considered deeper and better than most other years. Next season's draft class isn't currently considered to be quite as strong, so there should be a clear path for Fears to increase his stock.
Jump Forward for Fears
One of the things that stuck out about Fears' first Moneyball game -- a 26-point performance that ended with him assisting on a buzzer-beating three that won it for Team LAFCU -- was just that he looked a step quicker and more explosive.
Fears is normally the first person with the ball during an alley-oop. His lobs to Coen Carr and Carson Cooper became one of Michigan State's most consistent weapons last season. He was the second leg of one alley-oop on Tuesday, though, and Fears showed some bounce that I hadn't seen from him ever since he was shot in the leg during his freshman year.
"It's Year 3 since, obviously, the injury," Fears said. "Now, every year, it's been feeling better and better. Hopefully, that's the last step, the last aspect, really getting that explosiveness 100% there, and being able to have a consistent bounce all year, even when I'm tired."
Fears' explosiveness was one of his positive traits as a recruit. He's not the tallest player at about 6'0" even, but dunking was not a foreign concept to him whatsoever. Fears hasn't been operating at full power in that leg since, but he's slowly been making progress.
The biggest thing about Fears' explosiveness isn't really about dunking. Where it would be most evident is in his first step. That also looked a bit quicker on Tuesday. If he's able to get around his primary defender more often, that either leads to easier looks at the rim or more assists via the alley-oop.
"I feel it's God's plan," Fears said about getting more of that ability back. "Everything is coming together at the right time."
This is also the season where Fears and Michigan State can really go "all-in." The Spartans have depth and flexibility across the board. They've already been knocking on the door of the Final Four the last two seasons, despite not having much preseason hype either time. MSU is almost certainly going to be a preseason AP Top 10 team this time.
"Obviously, year-in, year-out, [our goal is] we're going to win a national championship," Fears said. "But at the same time, you've got to work towards that. You start working now, in practices and lifts. We don't put pressure on no one and nobody. At the end of the day, we're doing something we love, and we're having fun. Our goal is to win games, and keep winning, keep winning, keep winning, and then eventually, when it's that time, you do something special."
Add us as a preferred source on Google
A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
Follow jacobcotsonika