標籤: Queen

After 13 months of Achilles rehabilitation, Dejounte Murray finally made his season debut for the New Orleans Pelicans. However, at a moment when everything could have been about his own comeback, the veteran made sure that the spotlight shifted to the rookie players. Ultimately, Jeremiah Fears and Derrick Queen played big roles in the win over the visiting Golden State Warriors.

Murray played brilliantly (13 points, three assists, two rebounds in 25 minutes), but it was the energy put forth by the first-year players during the decisive third quarter that prompted the All-Stars to sing some postgame praise.

“Yeah, we needed it though. We had some battles in practice. Just got to have games like this where we came out warm, feeling really good to start the game, but then we had to go through some adversity. Thanks for that third quarter. Our young group came through and they won that quarter. They played really well and put us in position to win tonight. At the end of the day, we just have to stick together and do it together.”

The win showed that the Pelicans, who have been battling injuries to James Borrego, have a promising future, even as New Orleans heads into the final stretch of a challenging season. With the playoffs out of reach, minutes have opened up for the rookie class. Thankfully, Jeremiah Fears and Derrick Queen are making the most of the opportunities, both posting All-Rookie worthy numbers across the board.

For a demanding Dejounte Murray-led Pelicans team, the opportunity to mentor a young core is a chance for every veteran to help build something sustainable. As a point guard, this should be a priority. How much have Fears and Queen implemented the 29-year-old’s advice over the past few weeks?

“A lot. Because, like I said, I want to make everybody’s job easier, and it will have an impact on them. But there are guys who already feel that way. You know, you’ve got a guy like Herb Jones who doesn’t ask the coach to draw up a play for him. He’s always aggressive. He sees that no one watches the defense, he’s proactive. Everybody knows him for that,” Murray explained. “But, you know, I think the more we hang out together, have fun and learn to translate each other, it could be really special.”

The Pelicans (15-42) are lottery favorites, but the development of their rookie duo has emerged as a real bright spot. Queen averaged 12.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists; Fears is averaging 13.3 points and 3.1 assists. Murray suggested that his statistics told only part of the story. What impressed him more is how he handled the inevitable ups and downs of an NBA rookie season, especially when the roles changed dramatically.

Murray shared, “We like each other. There’s no egos. There’s no one to yell at.” “You had young guys starting, then they went to the bench. They took it, you know, like they were supposed to take it, and I give them a lot of credit for that. So, it speaks to maturity and what they’re there for. And we’re all here to win and longevity, you know, is important to everybody.”

For a franchise that often looks for stability, Murray looks to be laying the foundation in real time. Joe Dumars ‘executes to perfection’ his plan to earn Dejounte’s trust. It may be difficult to achieve victory this season, but belief in what lies ahead has never been stronger.

The rigors of the NBA rookie season can exhaust even the most prepared first-year players. However, for New Orleans Pelicans rookie Derrick Queen, the physical demands are matched by a growing appreciation for the All-Rookie opportunity in front of him, even when it comes in the middle of the night.

Queen has been one of James Borrego’s key players during an injury-plagued season. However, the physical impact of playing over 1000 pre-All-Star games after a few months of some off-season rehab work isn’t really taking effect yet.

Queen shared, “I feel good. I was just thinking about it. I forgot all about the three months I was out.” “I actually woke up at midnight thinking about it. I’m (somewhat) excited for the opportunity to perform.”

The excitement of finally being on the floor, of finally getting a chance to prove myself in the league, has completely overshadowed the memory of the downtime. When Queen was asked to pinpoint his favorite moment so far, the play that injected some joy into a losing season, he didn’t select a poster highlight or a career-high scoring night. Instead, the rookie chose a moment of pure basketball intelligence.

“When we played Portland, at halftime we were talking about kicks and how we didn’t have to take extra dribbles,” Queen said. “The kicks are open, and they were pressuring us. I got the ball, took a dribble, then passed it to (Sadiq Bey), and he made a three. It was a good pass.”

In a league often obsessed with dunks and isolation scoring, Queen’s favorite play was a simple swing pass resulting in a three-pointer. It was a play born of a halftime adjustment. That’s the only thing the Pelicans are excited about. Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver invested in a man who appreciates playing the game the right way.

Between midnight revelations about her own resilience and the satisfaction she finds in making the right read at the right time, Queen appears to be settling into her rookie season with a quiet confidence. The minutes are accumulating, the lessons are accumulating, and for now, the former Maryland student is excited for the opportunities to come, one sleepless night at a time.

在NBA，老将的领导力通常伴随着“欢迎来到联盟”的时刻，但新奥尔良鹈鹕队正在颠覆剧本。

在周六晚上以 126-111 战胜费城 76 人队后，鹈鹕队新秀德里克·奎因决定让 17 年老将德安德烈·乔丹尝尝自己的药。整个赛季只打了两场比赛的乔丹罕见地首发，当时他正在接受赛后采访，奎恩用滑稽的刺拳“劫持”了麦克风。

“那么，自从十一月以来没有参加比赛，今晚我们取得了一场胜利，感觉如何？”奎因开玩笑说，取笑这位老将连续 52 场比赛没有参加比赛。

“那么，自从十一月以来没有参加比赛，今晚我们取得了一场胜利，感觉如何？”

德里克·奎恩在劫持德安德烈·乔丹的赛后采访时开玩笑😅

（通过 @NBA）pic.twitter.com/pewzSxQ277

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 2026 年 2 月 22 日

当皇后开玩笑时，乔丹在球场上笑到了最后。由于鹈鹕队缺少了几个关键的轮换球员，主教练詹姆斯·博雷戈转向这位 37 岁的中锋来巩固防守。

乔丹以经典的表现做出回应，在 32 分钟的比赛中抢下 15 个篮板和 4 个盖帽。乔丹也拿下六分，证明他的油箱里还有足够的能量。

鹈鹕队在下半场控制了局面，在最后 21 分钟内以 60-35 击败费城队。乔丹·普尔 (Jordan Poole) 拿下 23 分和 5 个三分球，成为进攻的领头羊，锡安·威廉姆森 (Zion Williamson) 也贡献了 21 分。 萨迪克·贝也拿下20分，帮助鹈鹕队结束连败，今年战绩达到16胜42负。

对于乔尔·恩比德受伤缺席的费城76人队来说，泰瑞斯·马克西的27分不足以阻止他们遭遇四连败。

女王和乔丹之间的化学反应凸显了鹈鹕引进这位老将的原因——不仅是为了他的篮筐保护，也是为了球队文化。如果皇后乐队能够在电视直播中轻松地嘲讽一位传奇人物，那么新奥尔良更衣室的气氛显然正在朝着正确的方向发展。

In the NBA, veteran leadership usually comes with “welcome to the league” moments, but the New Orleans Pelicans are flipping the script.

After an impressive 126-111 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night, Pelicans rookie Derrick Queen decided to give 17-year veteran DeAndre Jordan a taste of his own medicine. Jordan, who made a rare start after appearing in only two games all season, was in the middle of a postgame interview when Queen “hijacked” the mic with a hilarious flurry.

“So how does it feel to not play since November and get us a win tonight?” Queen joked about the veteran’s 52-game DNP (Did Not Play).

“So how does it feel to lead us to a win tonight after not playing since November?”

Derrick Queen makes jokes while hijacking DeAndre Jordan’s postgame interview

(via @nba)pic.twitter.com/pewzSxQ277

– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 22 February 2026

While Queen told jokes, Jordan had the last laugh on the court. With the Pelicans missing several key rotational pieces, head coach James Borrego turned to the 37-year-old center to lead the defense.

During NBA All-Star Weekend, one of the participants in the Rising Stars Game was New Orleans Pelicans rookie forward Derrick Queen. Queen is enjoying a strong season with the Pelicans as one of the top rookies in the NBA. In fact, according to R.org’s Spencer Davis, Pelicans teammate Trey Murphy III can’t help but continue to rave about him.

“He’s really good,” Murphy said. “Sorry to curse, but he’s really great. As much as I talk trash about him, I also try to lift him up because what he’s doing is really special. It’s really bullshit.”

The Pelicans almost didn’t get the opportunity to draft Derrick Queen, the No. 13 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Queen was part of a draft-day trade involving the Atlanta Hawks in which the Pelicans acquired the second lottery pick which they used to select the Maryland big man.

Trade also took place at a heavy cost. That cost the Pelicans their first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, a draft that is shaping up to be one of the best in recent memory. The Pelicans are headed for a top-five pick in the upcoming draft. That selection will be conveyed to the Hawks, giving Atlanta a chance to nab a potentially franchise-changing talent in a deep draft pool.

But if Queens continues its current trajectory, perhaps the gamble was worth it for Pelican. He has appeared in 55 games, including 43 starts, at a rate of just 26 minutes per game. He averaged 12.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.0 steals on 49.1 percent shooting from the field, 27.8 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 77.7 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

While the Pelicans have had some disappointing seasons recently, they appear to have two solid cornerstones in Queens and fellow rookie Jeremiah Fears. Fears was also selected to compete in the Rising Stars competition.

對於一個試圖在 NBA 輪換陣容中站穩腳跟的新秀來說，全明星周末的邀請既代表著驗證，也是衡量標準。這個過程已經破壞了很多樂透選秀權，因此詹姆斯·博雷戈在 NBA 選秀結束後立即幫助耶利米·菲爾斯制定了計劃。幸運的是，對於重建中的新奧爾良鵜鶘隊來說，德里克·奎因在新星中甚至還有空間。

最近談起回報時，恐懼滿面笑容。

“這非常令人興奮，”菲爾斯開始說道。 “我在七月來到這裡，這就是我的目標之一，那就是幫助我們的球隊，盡我們所能，讓自己處於這樣的位置（在NBA新星比賽中）。所以這非常令人興奮。感覺和情緒還沒有真正開始。我很確定，一旦我們走出去，第一次踏上球場，它就會出現，但肯定非常興奮。”

至於他在球場上的比賽計劃，菲爾斯強調享受勝過一切。新星賽制讓頂級新秀和二年級生在小型錦標賽中相互較量，提供了一個低風險的環境來展示技能。恐懼打算充分利用這一點，尤其是在對方有一張熟悉的面孔的情況下。

“只是出去享受樂趣，與 DQ 進行一點比賽，向大家展示我們的能力……繼續享受每一秒、每一刻，並接受這一切，”Fears 解釋道。 “我們知道幾年後我們就會參加（NBA 全明星賽）。”

這個“DQ”指的是鵜鶘隊新秀德里克·奎因，他也收到了邀請。與來自同一選秀班的隊友分享經驗為恐懼的周末增添了特殊的層次。這證明了他們能夠快速融入球隊並得到老將的支持。

“感覺真的很好。兩名新秀來自同一個班級，我們的隊友相信我們，”菲爾斯說道。 “他們也做了一件非常好的事情，讓我們來到這裡……我們真的很高興能夠走出去，向所有人展示我們的能力。”

然而，兩人不會在遊戲中組隊；皇后落在了對面的隊伍中。

鵜鶘隊冒著誤傷的風險

恐懼泰然處之，將其視為提高娛樂價值的機會。儘管他們將在比賽中激烈競爭，但他們的聯繫仍然牢不可破。

“事情就是這樣，”菲爾斯聳聳肩。 “我們無法控制它……我們肯定會互相攻擊並競爭。最終，一旦全明星周末結束，我們將回到同一立場，我們將再次成為一家人。如果我們在不同的球隊，我們必須互相攻擊，讓比賽變得有趣。給球迷一些可以笑的東西，讓他們感到興奮。”

臨時主教練詹姆斯·博雷戈也表達了對新秀成就的自豪感。在他的指導下，Fears 和 Queen 蓬勃發展。

“為他們感到驕傲，他們已經有了一個良好的開端，通向光明的未來，”博雷戈開始說道。 “他們最好的日子就在眼前，但他們充分利用了機會。他們應得的；他們屬於那裡。我為他們感到興奮，他們會做得很棒。祝賀他們和他們的家人。無論你在哪裡被選秀或落選，這都是一件大事。參加（NBA新星）比賽是一項重大成就。”

對於恐懼來說，全明星周末不僅僅是一場慶祝活動……更是一個墊腳石。他精心策劃的方法融合了感恩、競爭和前瞻性的雄心。如果他對新角色充滿信心，那麼完全入選全明星可能就不遠了。

Derik Queen is choosing optimism as the New Orleans Pelicans stare down a pivotal stretch of the 2025–26 NBA season. Speaking after an encouraging win on Friday, the Pelicans forward voiced strong belief in the group’s chemistry and its ability to flip the narrative over the final 42 games.

“The chemistry might not show in the wins, but we’re all close, we all like each other. It’s still a work in progress,” Queen said. “We’ve got like 40 games left. Hopefully have a great winning percentage the next 40 games.”

His comments reflect a locker room still united despite a season that has yet to meet expectations. Queen had 14 points, 16 rebounds, and 12 assists in a big win over the Washington Wizards.

That optimism comes amid a difficult campaign for New Orleans. As of this writing, the Pelicans sit at 9-31, placing them 14th in the Western Conference and fifth in the Southwest Division. They are outside the current playoff picture. Injuries, inconsistency, and late-game struggles have plagued the team. These have prevented them from building sustained momentum. Still, the organization has emphasized development and cohesion. They are leaning on internal growth rather than short-term fixes as they evaluate their direction heading into the second half of the season.

Queen has been a notable bright spot during that process. He is currently averaging 12.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. He has shown steady growth while adjusting to increasing responsibilities in the rotation. His energy, physicality, and willingness to do the dirty work have earned trust from the coaching staff, even as the wins haven’t consistently followed. More importantly, Queen’s outlook underscores a broader belief within the locker room that New Orleans can still salvage pride and progress from a challenging season by finishing strong.