Jeremiah Fears struggles in season opener, but Dejounte Murray knows level-up secret appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
A starting lineup spot is both a badge of honor and an invitation for opposing scouting reports to tear your game apart. Jeremiah Fears felt the full weight of that shift in a season-opening loss to Tyrese Haliburton’s Indiana Pacers. However, Dejounte Murray keeps stepping in to ensure the young guard’s confidence stays intact as the Jamahl Mosley-led New Orleans Pelicans look to turn a tough corner.
Fears struggled through a 123-120 loss, finishing with eight points on 2-of-10 shooting, including a 1-of-5 performance from beyond the arc. He added three rebounds and one assist in 21 minutes, posting a team-worst minus-12 in his first regular-season start under Mosley.
Early foul trouble meant leaving Murray to shoulder ball-handling and point-of-attack defense duties for 12 straight minutes in the first half. It’s hard to hold a grudge, though.
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“(Fears) is a tough one,” Murray told ClutchPoints. “I love him. I love seeing him smile every day. You know, basketball doesn’t define us. I just want to throw that out there. Like, he smiles a lot, you know what I’m saying? His energy is high and is contagious in the right way. But I told him, ‘You’re going to learn.’ Even in the starting lineup, everything is about to change fast with the scouting reports and game plans on you. There is a gift and a curse with that. We’ve got to make sure he just stays focused.”
It was a grueling, frustrating follow-up to an encouraging preseason in which Fears averaged 13.3 points and appeared increasingly comfortable directing the offense.
The speed and fearlessness remained, but the efficiency and decision-making did not follow. Meanwhile, Murray demonstrated what a veteran presence can provide, leading the Pelicans with 23 points, seven assists, three rebounds, three blocks, and two steals with only two fouls. The contrast offered an early reminder of how much Fears still has to learn.
A former All-Star turned over-30 veteran, Murray knows what it’s like to be young and counted on, and how quickly the league adjusts once a player shows promise. Still, the Pelicans are not worried about their new PG1 living up to some lofty CP3-level expectations.
It’s obvious to anyone watching that Fears has the same mindset as Chris Paul.
“(Fears) ain’t no pushover; we know that,” Murray laughed. “And we ain’t going to let nobody push him over, but we also want him to stay focused, understanding what’s going on with the game, the flow of the game. We need him. We cannot do a lot if he is on the sideline. I think that was a big jump of him earning the starting position.”
As for what was said in that scuffle?
“I kept putting it in his ear. We need you, we need you,” Murray explained. “So stay focused.”
One rough night is not the end of the world. Two tough season openers to start the career are just opportunities to learn. By season three, the scouting report may not matter for No Fears, as there may be no answer for what he can do when focused.
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