Pelicans Rookie Gets Starting Debut After Zion Williamson's Absence vs Celtics

New Orleans Pelicans rookie earns first career star with Zion Williamson's absence vs the Boston Celtics

Jan 12, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) drives to the basket during the first half against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

The NBA will see two winless teams matchup on Monday, with the New Orleans Pelicans playing host to the Boston Celtics. Even though both teams clearly have talent on their rosters, injuries are holding them back from being the best versions of themselves. However, one side gets to walk away from Monday's game with their first win of the season.

For the Pelicans, they'll be at a disadvantage with Zion Williamson sidelined, who is dealing with a foot injury that appeared on the injury report for the first time on Monday. Moving the lineup around, head coach Willie Green opted to give their top draft pick his first career start.

Pelicans starters:

Jordan Poole
Jeremiah Fears
Herb Jones
Trey Murphy
Saddiq Bey

Pels going super small once again even with Zion out. Jeremiah Fears also gets the first start of his career.

— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) October 27, 2025

Opting for a small lineup, Green inserts Jeremiah Fears into the starting lineup alongside Jordan Poole, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III, and Saddiq Bey. Even with Yves Missi healthy, the Pelicans opt to play small and allow their 7th overall pick to get his first start.

Entering the game, Fears is averaging 15.0 points per game on 66.7% shooting from the field. Even though he's yet to make an outside shot, he's converting at a high rate on his field goals. However, he wasn't a great shooter at Oklahoma, so that area of his game still has a lot to grow.

Can Fears Become A Long-Term Starter For New Orleans?

Jeremiah Fears introduced for his first NBA start pic.twitter.com/1rcy56fS8g

— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) October 28, 2025

Even though Fears has had a solid start to the season, the reality is that Fears needs to prove he can bring something else to the table that Jordan Poole doesn't. Poole is averaging more assists per game, despite it being just 3.5 per game, and bring outside shot creation that Fears doesn't have yet.

While Fears is still an exciting young player, there's plenty of room for him to grow as a player until he can be a staple in New Orleans' starting lineup. He'll obviously have a chance to prove himself against the Celtics, but this is still a Pelicans team trying to figure things out without a win on their record.

Jeremiah Fears 17 PTS on 7/10 in 18 MP pic.twitter.com/TXHbHvqBvq

— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) October 23, 2025

Ideally, both Derik Queen and Fears are starter-level players for this team by next season, since they spent lottery selections on both of them. Given that New Orleans should have no desire to tank this year without their first-round pick, it could be hard for both Fears and Queen to earn consistent playing time if they aren't contributing to winning.

Regardless, Fears gets the chance on Monday to prove what he could be for the Pelicans long-term. If he's able to prove more than just his scoring ability, who knows what the immediate future holds.