New Orleans needs a spark — and their 20-year-old rookie is ready to give them one.
The New Orleans Pelicans are 2-8 and trending the wrong way in the West. The frontcourt still lacks rhythm, the offense is sluggish, and the energy is flat — all while their most dynamic big remains on the bench.
Through 10 games, Derik Queen is averaging 9.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals in just under 20 minutes per game. He’s shooting 45.2% from the field and 78.1% from the free-throw line. His three-point shooting isn’t there yet — just 12.5% — but the rest of his game is ahead of schedule.
What Queen is doing off the bench isn’t just promising. It’s producing. He’s had four straight games with at least 11 points and five rebounds, including a 13-point, eight-assist performance against San Antonio. He also posted four steals against Charlotte and three more against Dallas. In a limited role, he’s impacting every layer of the game — and doing it with confidence.
The Pelicans didn’t draft Queen at No. 13 (via a trade with Atlanta) to stash him behind Kevon Looney. They drafted him to contribute — and he’s doing that. Now it’s time to let him lead.
And it wasn’t a small move to get him. To land the No. 13 pick and draft Queen, the Pelicans traded the No. 23 pick (Asa Newell) and an unprotected 2026 first-round pick — the most favorable of their own or Milwaukee’s — to the Atlanta Hawks. That kind of draft capital signals belief, not caution. Queen wasn’t a throw-in. He was the target. When a front office gives up an unprotected future first and a first-round prospect, it’s a bet that the return is worth the risk. Queen has done his part. He’s earned the minutes — and now it’s time he earns the start.
Queen, 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, is only 20 years old, but he plays with a level of control rare for a rookie big. At Maryland, he averaged 16.5 points and nine boards per game, showing polished footwork, soft touch around the rim, and impressive passing instincts for a big. That all translates. The vision is real. The motor is constant. And defensively, he’s more active than expected.
The Pelicans rank near the bottom of the league in net rating and have struggled to close games. Their frontcourt lacks movement and versatility. Queen gives them both. He’s a capable face-up scorer with a feel for where the ball should go, even when he doesn’t take the shot himself. That kind of decision-making is rare in young bigs — and invaluable on a team still figuring out its identity.
So why isn’t he starting? Head coach Willie Green has leaned on veteran rotations, hoping experience would provide early-season stability. It hasn’t. The Pelicans are losing, the offense stalls late, and their margin for error shrinks every night. And now, with Zion Williamson sidelined with injury, the need for frontcourt production is even more urgent. Queen has consistently been the most effective big on the roster in Zion’s absence — and that includes Looney, who’s been steady but limited.
Queen needs to be moved into the starting lineup — not just given minutes, but trusted to set the tone from tipoff. The Pelicans don’t need to ease him in. They need to unleash him.
He sees the floor like a veteran, plays through contact, and impacts both ends. He needs to keep developing his outside shot, but he’s got the touch and the potential for it — the mechanics are there, and the confidence is growing. He’s clearly earned more than 19 minutes a night. He’s outproducing expectations, outworking opponents, and outperforming the vets ahead of him — and those are the first steps you see in players who become cornerstones.
New Orleans doesn’t have time to play it safe. Not with a 2-8 record, not in the brutal Western Conference, and not with a rookie this ready.
The Pelicans need a jolt. Derik Queen is the plug. It’s time to turn the power on — and move him into the starting five.
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