Derik Queen finally got the kind of offseason he didn’t have as a rookie, and the New Orleans Pelicans big man says he can feel the difference.
After dealing with a wrist injury in Summer League last year, Queen never really had a normal runway into his first NBA season. That matters, even if it got overshadowed by how productive his rookie year turned out to be.
The 21-year-old still managed to appear in 81 games, putting up 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 47.3/26.1/79.5. Not perfect.
Still, hardly the profile of a player who looked overwhelmed.
Now he’s back with a full summer of work behind him, and he says the results are showing up already.
"I feel like I'm getting stronger, feel like I'm in way better shape. I just feel better, look better.
I was always happy, but I definitely feel a difference," said Queen. "I'm just ready to get out there.
It's been a long [five months]."
A big part of that work has centered on his jumper. Queen hit 23 of 88 from three last season, not enough to force defenses to change how they guarded him.
Through the first two live looks at this group - the St. Aug scrimmage and the preseason opener - he’s taken two top-of-the-key threes as a trailer, missing one and knocking down the other.
That kind of shot changes the whole geometry of the floor if it becomes real for him. Queen has enough touch and enough feel with the ball to punish defenses if they have to respect him out there.
It also matters because of how he fits next to Zion Williamson. Last season, the minutes they shared didn’t produce much, and the spacing in that frontcourt was part of the problem. Williamson has been working on his own shooting, but Queen knows this is bigger than one player.
"Bro, like [Zion has gravity]. He has two people trying to guard him.
Has the paint packed. Then I'm gonna have to shoot some threes and stuff," said Queen.
"He just draws so much attention."
Queen earned a spot on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team last season with Jeremiah Fears, but he’s already looking past individual honors. The goal now is a team one.
"Definitely making the playoffs. Like, we even had the talent last year.
[We just had] slacking leadership, injuries, not closing out games and defense. So I feel like that's what coach [Jamahl Mosley] brings," said Queen.
That push for the postseason could mean a different nightly role for Queen, and he may start the year coming off the bench. Even so, the Pelicans believe there’s room for him to grow into a major piece as the wins start to come. He could also spend more time toggling between the four and the five, and he says he’s fine with that.
"It depends about the lineups, who's all in, but I don't really mind playing either [position]."
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