Rising to the Occasion: Top NBA Prospects Shine in Conference Tournament Action
Under the bright lights of conference tournaments, key NBA prospects made statements with standout performances.
March is where reputations are made, and Wednesday night was a perfect showcase of why NBA scouts and executives flood conference tournaments across the country this time of year. For many prospects, these games are the closest thing to playoff basketball they’ll experience before making the leap to the next level—win-or-go-home stakes, hostile environments, and the pressure of carrying a team’s season on their back.
Some players elevated their stock with clutch performances, while others simply refused to let their season end. With league personnel locked in on every game, Wednesday provided a big stage for prospects to prove themselves when it mattered most. Here’s a look at some of the top performances from the night.
Jeremiah Fears
Oklahoma
Freshman
Guard
6’4” | 180
Jeremiah Fears picked the perfect time to deliver his best performance of the season. With Oklahoma needing a win over Georgia in the opening round of the SEC Tournament to solidify its NCAA Tournament hopes, Fears stepped up under the bright lights, dropping 29 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists in an 81-75 victory. The arena was packed with NBA scouts, and Fears gave them plenty to take note of—showcasing his shot-making, speed, and advanced ball-handling while bouncing back in a major way from his worst outing of the season. The last time Oklahoma played Georgia on January 11, Fears had just 2 points on 1-of-11 shooting. This time, he made sure history wouldn’t repeat itself.