Derik Queen enters his second season with the kind of profile that can lift a rotation or expose its cracks. For the New Orleans Pelicans, that makes him one of the most intriguing players on the roster - and a real candidate to be the weakest link in the main group if his game doesn’t line up with the role.
The talent is obvious. The fit is where things get messy.
Queen’s best offensive trait is his feel with the ball. He spots cutters, reads the floor early and throws passes that most young big men never even see.
That skill showed up in one promising group from last season, when he played alongside Jeremiah Fears, Saddiq Bey, Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones. That mix gave Queen a downhill guard, two perimeter shooters and a strong defensive helper to work with.
It’s a useful template. Queen can set the screen for Fears, catch the ball against a shifting defense and decide whether to finish or kick it out.
Murphy and Bey stretch the floor, while Jones can attack gaps and take on tough defensive matchups. Queen and Murphy also produced plenty of highlights, including half-court lobs from the big man to Trey.
The problem comes when Zion Williamson is in the same frontcourt picture. Williamson and Queen live in a lot of the same spaces, and Queen’s 26.1% three-point shooting did not force defenders to respect him on the perimeter.
Zion needs room to drive. Queen needs room to operate.
That leaves New Orleans needing multiple shooters around them, and the roster does not exactly overflow with proven spacing.
Last season offered a clear warning. The Williamson-Queen-Herb Jones-Trey Murphy III-Saddiq Bey lineup was outscored by 6.1 points per 100 possessions across 138 minutes. It posted a 117.1 offensive rating, but it also gave up 123.2 points per 100 possessions.
The version with Jeremiah Fears in place of Jones was even rougher. That group was outscored by 19.1 points per 100 possessions in 115 minutes, scoring 110.9 and allowing 130.0. The offense bogged down, and the defense had no answers.
There was one brighter sample: Fears, Jones, Murphy, Bey and Queen together posted a plus-12.4 net rating in 104 minutes, scoring 125.7 points per 100 possessions while allowing 113.3. The samples are small and overlapping, so none of it can be pinned on one player.
Still, the contrast is hard to ignore. Queen has shown he can fit into an effective lineup.
The harder task is making him fit next to the player New Orleans is building around.
Yves Missi adds another wrinkle. Jamahl Mosley has already pushed Missi hard, even saying he belongs in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation and praising his work in practice. The starting job is still open, but the message is clear enough: Missi brings rim protection, vertical pop and an offensive role that doesn’t require many touches.
That kind of investment could help Queen if it allows Mosley to stagger him with Williamson and let him create more with the second unit, where lineups can look more like the one that worked last season. But it can also squeeze his path to minutes. If Missi becomes the preferred center next to Zion, Queen has to make his bench reps count and prove he can handle whatever role is handed to him.
A move to power forward is not a simple fix either. Playing with Missi or another traditional center creates its own spacing issues unless Queen develops a real jumper, and changing positions doesn’t erase his defensive responsibilities.
Queen’s rookie year gave the Pelicans a solid base: 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists. He shot 50.2% on two-point attempts and finished with a 54.6% true shooting percentage, while also averaging 2.3 turnovers against 3.7 assists.
The playmaking is real. The question is whether he can turn more of his own chances into points and cut down on the giveaways.
The comparisons make the challenge even clearer. Nikola Jokic posted a 58.2% true shooting percentage as a rookie and finished with a positive box plus/minus, a defensive metric that stayed positive throughout his career.
The parallel is not just about passing. Jokic’s efficiency, positioning and anticipation are what make his passing part of a complete package.
Queen still has to build those other layers.
Alperen Sengun offers another example of a gifted passing big without a consistent three-ball. He has made two All-Star teams, but the Rockets’ two straight first-round exits show how wide the gap can be between individual production and team success. Even if Queen grows into an offensive hub, the Pelicans would still have to answer questions about defense, spacing and how the roster fits around him.
For Queen, the next step is less about flash and more about the everyday stuff. Does his screen make real contact?
Does he move the ball quickly before the defense resets? Can he finish without extra dribbles, rotate on time and rebound cleanly?
His passing can stay a weapon. Sometimes the best play is the simple one - a quick decision after a screen that forces the defense to collapse. New Orleans needs that from him, even if he isn’t getting a ton of touches.
That is the assignment now. Mosley has to give him clear roles and lineups that make sense. Queen has to show he can be dependable inside them.
He is not being asked to become a star in Year 2. He is being asked to become someone Mosley can trust when Zion has the ball, when opponents test him on defense and when his own offense isn’t there.
If he does that, the Pelicans get more than a useful reserve big. They get flexibility. If he doesn’t, his limitations could end up shaping the rotation around him.
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