Utah Jazz Eye ‘Modern-Day Stockton’ in New Draft Prediction
As the 2025 NBA draft approaches, the Utah Jazz are a team to watch, linked to nearly every top prospect. The final decision will come on Wednesday night when Utah selects with the fifth-overall pick.
The Jazz have been hosting workouts with several notable prospects, including Duke’s Kon Knueppel, Texas’ Tre Johnson, and BYU’s Egor Demin. Given the talent already stacked in the frontcourt, it’s expected that Utah will focus on adding a skilled point guard.
In a fresh draft prediction from Fox Sports analyst Jason McIntyre, he has the Jazz selecting Oklahoma point guard Jeremiah Fears, offering an intriguing comparison to Utah legend John Stockton.
“Could he be their modern-day John Stockton?” McIntyre speculated. “The Jazz have had point guard struggles since trading Deron Williams. Isaiah Collier and Keyonte George showed promise last year, but both are more combo guards than true point guards.”
At 18 years old, Fears would be a youthful addition to a roster featuring Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler. In his only season at Oklahoma, Fears averaged 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game in 30.2 minutes. He led the Sooners to the NCAA tournament, though they were eliminated in the first round by UConn. In that game, he was the leading scorer with 20 points on 5-for-14 shooting (2-for-3 from three), showcasing his creative ball-handling and ability to get to the rim and draw fouls.
While the John Stockton comparison might be premature, Fears did finish as the seventh-highest assist leader among freshmen in Division 1 basketball. With his experience leading Oklahoma, he could be a smooth transition to the professional game.
Last season, the Jazz handed Isaiah Collier the starting point guard role, and he responded with an average of 6.3 assists per game. Utah will have to weigh whether selecting Fears could hinder Collier’s development, but Fears would certainly bring an added scoring dimension to the roster.
With big decisions looming, Utah’s 2025 draft hinges on who they pick (and who they pass on) with the fifth-overall selection.
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