Derik Queen’s preseason has put the New Orleans Pelicans in an uncomfortable spot.
After Thursday night’s 128-118 loss to the Miami Heat, the issue looks less like a short-term growing pain and more like a real fit problem. The Pelicans say they want to win next season and push for a playoff berth, but Queen’s game keeps pulling in the opposite direction.
That was part of the concern when New Orleans took him at No. 13 in the draft. He was a fun college player, no doubt, but the questions were always there: size, rebounding, athleticism, floor spacing, defense.
Even with those doubts, there was still a path to value if he had time, the right environment, and steady development. The idea was that he could grow into a useful player and maybe even an offensive-hub big.
But with this roster and this timeline, that patience gets a lot harder to justify.
The Pelicans don’t have the luxury of treating Queen like a developmental centerpiece while also expecting to rack up wins. He needs reps, sure, but the team can’t keep giving him heavy responsibility and still act like the goal is immediate success. His defense, his decision-making, his discipline on both ends, and his inability to stay effective without the ball all make him a tough fit for what a winning modern role player is supposed to provide.
Thursday’s game only sharpened that concern. Queen had five turnovers in eight first-half minutes, and every one of them was on him.
He spun into trouble at the rim, lost the ball, fired off a bad pass, and picked up a foul. The mistakes came in just about every form you could imagine.
On the other end, he looked overwhelmed and kept getting put in bad spots no matter who he was matched up with. His habit of arguing calls on both ends didn’t help matters either.
Those are not the habits a team wants to lean on.
The social media response made things even messier. Queen posted after the game: "By Oct 21st all you Pels fans will never remember this day.
Stay over there! Trust & believe.
It’s preseason for a reason."
That kind of reaction doesn’t exactly quiet the noise, especially when the on-court issues are already loud. And when a player has already been part of three of the Pelicans’ five worst two-man lineups last season, according to Databallr, it’s fair to wonder why the minutes keep coming in the first place.
There’s also the bigger roster picture. The Pelicans didn’t spend last season building a culture that can absorb endless mistakes, and this isn’t a group that can afford to learn those lessons live while trying to stack wins.
Queen still looks like someone who hasn’t fully grasped that he isn’t the star here - at least not yet. Jeremiah Fears picked that up quickly, and that’s the model Queen needs to follow.
Karlo Matkovic keeps making his case too. He’s shown he can be a useful backup big, one who stretches the floor, finishes possessions, and protects the rim.
With that in mind, the Pelicans shouldn’t be forcing Queen into a bigger role than he’s ready for. He can play in the preseason, of course, but by opening night, he needs to be the third big in the rotation.
Queen still has the kind of talent that can matter in this league. But if he wants to help New Orleans win now, he has to accept a smaller role and start playing like it.
In Other News...
Pelicans Fans May Not Expect Zion In This Training Camp Debate
Training camp has already produced one small, friendly debate inside the Pelicans locker room, with Derik Queen weighing in on which players have been the most explosive above the rim. After watching practices, Queen put Karlo Matkovic at the top of his dunker rankings, with Trey Murphy III and Yves Missi also drawing notice for the kind of finishes that tend to stand out when the pace picks up.
The list offered a little snapshot of what has been showing up on the court, and it also explained why Zion Williamson was not near the top of it. Queen said Williamson has not been dunking much in practice, a detail that says more about what has been happening lately than about Williamsons well-known athletic ability. For a team that knows how much rim pressure Williamson can create, it is still the kind of training camp note that makes people lean in a little closer. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans Final Roster Spots Just Got More Interesting
The Pelicans end-of-roster picture got a little clearer this week as they added another look at Jalon Moore, a rangy forward who spent his college career at Georgia Tech and Oklahoma before going undrafted. Moores path to New Orleans has already been unusual. After tearing his Achilles in a pre-draft workout and missing last season, he was brought in by the Pelicans earlier to help secure his G League rights, then resurfaced with the teams Summer League group this month.
Moores return gives New Orleans another chance to evaluate a young player coming off a long layoff, and it also underscores how much business still needs to be sorted out around the final roster spots. The Pelicans have been using Summer League to sort through those decisions, and Moores presence now adds another layer to a picture that had already been shifting behind the scenes. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Poole Is Forcing A Pelicans Lineup Decision
Jordan Poole has given the Pelicans something to think about early in preseason, and it is the kind of decision a coaching staff would rather have than the alternative. His play has looked sharper and more disciplined than it did a year ago, with the kind of shooting and creation that can ease pressure on the rest of the offense, especially when Zion Williamson is on the floor and the half-court gets crowded.
New Orleans now has to weigh whether Pooles early run is enough to bump him into the starting conversation for the next game against Dallas. The fit is appealing because his playmaking could help stabilize the group, but the bigger question is whether this version of Poole holds up long enough to matter once the games start counting for real. [Read more 🡒]