As the 2025-2026 season unfolds, Derik Queen is facing an unfair cloud of criticism, mainly due to the high price the New Orleans Pelicans paid to draft him. However, this research has not deterred him. In his recent performances, Queen has shown flashes of brilliance that are beginning to silence his critics. With every match he proves that he has the potential to rise above the expectations expected of him.
On Tuesday night against the Charlotte Hornets, he absolutely stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in just 18 minutes. Queen also had a stretch in the 4th quarter where he single-handedly put the team on his back. Defensively, Queen was excellent, recording four steals, one of which was the game-winning steal as the Hornets pulled in.
Coming out of college, Queen was described as a jack-of-all-trades, a big man who could be a threat in the pick-and-roll as well as initiate the team’s offense. These skills have translated perfectly into the competition and have been crucial to the two major performances he has achieved this season. Against both the Hornets on Tuesday and the Spurs in the team’s home opener, he made effective use of his versatility and unique abilities to exploit enemy defenses.
Defense was always a big question mark around DQ, but he has excelled on that end of the floor so far. He’s done a great job winning games at the rim and fighting for defensive rebounds on the glass.
The NBA media needs to do a better job when it comes to talking about young talent
I understand that Queen may never surpass the price the Pelicans paid to draft him, and that’s fine. But that doesn’t give critics in the NBA media the right to judge him based solely on the price tag. I’m tired of hearing every positive comment about him accompanied by comments like, “But will he ever be better than Cam Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, or Darryn Peterson?” (projected top three picks in the class of 2026).
What the front office did this summer and what Queen is doing now are two separate things. And that is how it should be judged. You can’t attach Queen’s name to that 2026 first-round pick for the rest of his career, even if the man drafted with that pick is a future Hall of Famer.
Queen has been so good, and when he plays well, good things have happened for the Pelicans this season. Yet nowhere in the media do you hear how his game translates to the professional level better than anyone expected. Instead, all I’ve been hearing since the 2025 NBA draft is that the Pelicans paid too much for him.
Do better.
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