Derik Queen doesn’t need much time around the Pelicans to know there’s plenty of dunking talent in the room - but he’s already made one thing clear: the team’s best in a dunk contest might not be the name fans expect.
After a recent training camp practice, Queen laid out his personal rankings of New Orleans’ aerial artists, and he started with Yves Missi. The rookie big man gets plenty of respect for his force at the rim, but Queen drew a line between raw power and dunk-contest flair.
“Yves, his dunks are just powerful,” Queen noted. “(Missi) doesn't do anything spectacular; he just takes off and it's a power dunk. Trey got some more stuff to him.”
When it came time to name the Pelican he thinks would actually win, Queen didn’t go with Missi or Zion Williamson. He went with Karlo Matkovic.
“Definitely Karlo,” laughed Queen. “(Matkovic) and (Murphy) are 1A and 1B.”
Trey Murphy III clearly made a strong impression in Queen’s eyes for his creativity, while Matkovic earned the top spot for his surprise explosiveness. The one omission that stands out most is Williamson, whose reputation has long been built on jaw-dropping athleticism and violent finishes through traffic.
But Queen said that side of Williamson hasn’t been on display much during camp.
“I don't really see (Williamson) dunk much in practice,” Queen admitted. “I don't think he dunks in practice.”
That doesn’t erase what Williamson can do when the lights come on. It just shows the gap between practice habits and the kind of highlight-reel explosion fans have come to expect from him at the Smoothie King Center.
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