Finishing with the worst record in the regular season won't guarantee the Utah Jazz a top pick. That will ultimately be decided by the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery, which is slated to take place May 12. However, the Jazz does have the best odds not only to earn the No. 1 overall pick but also to finish with a top-four selection in this year's loaded NBA Draft. But that still doesn't guarantee anything. That's part of the beauty of the NBA.
Even though the Jazz will enter the NBA Draft Lottery with a 14 percent chance to win the No. 1 overall pick and a 52.1 percent chance to finish with a top 4 pick, there's still a probability that they could fall out of the top four. If that disaster were to strike the Jazz on NBA Draft Lottery night, not all hope would be lost.
In fact, there's one perfect fitting prospect who could definitely help salvage the NBA Draft for the Jazz should they fall out of the top 4, and that's Jeremiah Fears.
Jeremiah Fears could help save the Utah Jazz from draft lottery disaster
While the fanbase would probably be gutted if the Jazz weren't able to land one of the generational talents in this year's NBA Draft, there's a reason why this class is considered to be a strong one. It's not just about the top of the draft class; there are so many valuable players littered in the top 10. Fears could be one of the biggest steals outside the top four.
For a Jazz team that could be in the market for their point guard of the future, and an offensive facilitator that would fit well next to Lauri Markkanen, Fears does make a ton of sense.
Fears may not have the generational potential that a Cooper Flagg or Dylan Harper may have, but he does fill a lot of the Jazz's biggest questions on the offensive end heading into next season. Fears is an explosive offensive scorer, while also being an underrated playmaker. He's considered one of the best pick-and-roll guards in this draft class and has shown the ability to lead an offense at an effective level thanks to his productive freshman season at Oklahoma.
Fears could be exactly what Keyonte George (if the two can coexist with each other) and Markkanen need in the backcourt to help them maximize this Jazz's offense heading into next season. If Fears' best basketball is still in front of him, he could be the exact player the Jazz need to add to their foundational core this offseason.
The biggest knock on Fears revolves around his questionable shot selection at times. Playing next to Markkanen could help him solve some of the issues he faced in college. Markkanen's presence on offense will certainly help open the door to easier shots and more space for Fears to work with.
With the uncertainty revolving around George's future, the addition of a more natural lead guard like Fears could help push Utah toward a resolution. Fears may need more time to fully develop into a potential star player, whereas the likes of Flagg and Harper may be more of a sure thing right away. However, Fears could be a prospect that could help the Jazz salvage the potential disaster in the event they fall out of the top 4 in the NBA Draft Lottery.