It has been a challenging rookie campaign for Jeremiah Fears and the New Orleans Pelicans, marked by difficult losses and ongoing development, but the young guard remains optimistic about the team’s long-term outlook.
Speaking with Sam Yip of HoopsHype, the shooting guard said the struggles have provided valuable lessons that could ultimately help the group grow into a stronger team.
“Being able to lose to understand how to win, I think that’s huge,” Fears said. “We’ve been in a lot of very close games. We just got to learn how to finish. And I think once we learn how to finish, we’ll be really, really good and we’ll end up flipping the switch.”
Meanwhile, New Orleans may soon receive a significant boost to its lineup.
According to Rod Walker of NOLA (Twitter link), the team is aiming for Tuesday’s matchup against Golden State as the target date for Dejounte Murray’s season debut following his recovery process.
“I expect him to be there in the next couple games,” interim coach James Borrego said before tonight’s contest. “Hopefully it’s Tuesday night. We’d all be excited for that.”
Southwest Notes: JJJ, Iisalo, Fears, Murray, Durant https://t.co/kQU6jwWwGq
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) February 22, 2026
