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.
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