Derik Queen becomes the center of attention that the Pelicans have missed since Anthony Davis

The New Orleans Pelicans organization has been looking to add a face to the franchise since Anthony Davis was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2019 offseason. Both Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson were expected to take the title. But with Ingram being traded to the Toronto Raptors last season and Williamson’s continued inability to stay healthy, the Pelicans have been left without a clear offensive centerpiece or long-term face of the franchise.

This is why Derik Queen’s rise feels like the start of something big for this organization.

Now, I’m not saying that Queen, as a rookie, is at Davis’ level or on track to have the career he’s had, but what I am saying is that New Orleans finally has a starter they can build their team around. What makes DQ the type of player you can build and mold your offense around is his ability to not only create scoring chances, but also do it for his teammates.

We see teams like the Nuggets and Rockets surround their entire offense with players like Nikola Jokić and Alperen Şengün because you can trust them to run the offense from the point or the nail. Queen fits into that category of big men, as he shares the ability to initiate the offense from the point and inside the arc.

Wednesday night against Jokić and the Nuggets, these Queen skills, or something fans start to call it “The Big Easy” was on full display.

He broke down the Nuggets’ defense in a series of different post moves, on the fastbreak and by making reads for his teammates that the average NBA center can’t make. This resulted in a career-high 30 points for the rookie, who also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out four assists.

AD was the past, Zion was the present, Queen is the now and the future all in one.

It’s rare to see a rookie big man as skilled as Queen come to the NBA and make the transition so easily. If you had told me during Summer League that he would average 11.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while also starting for the Pelicans, I would have thought you were crazy.

But that’s the reality of Queen: He keeps getting better every time he steps foot on the field for New Orleans.

I understand some fans may still be upset that New Orleans gave up its 2026 first-round pick unprotected to land Queen, especially since the Pelicans are a West-worst 2-13 and have overwhelming talent at the top of the 2026 class. However, I’m going to present an idea. What if Queen stayed in college for another year? And he still made the jump he made from his freshman season to now with the Pelicans, whose ruling wouldn’t he be a top five pick? I think he would be.

Derik Koningin is the future. He’s the type of player you build your team around because you can run offense through him, you can use him off the ball as a screener, and you can trust him to give you a pass. the end of a game. This team hasn’t had such exceptional young talent since Anthony Davis, and so it’s hard not to be excited about the future.