The New Orleans Pelicans snapped a three-game losing skid with a 116-113 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night. This game not only helped the Pelicans get back into the win column, but also gave interim head coach James Borrego an obvious adjustment to the starting lineup moving forward.
In the win, Derik Queen struggled to get things going on offense, recording just four points while shooting 0-for-5 from the field and not getting his first points until there were less than two minutes left in the third quarter. Queen has been the Pelicans’ starting center since the thirteenth game of the season, but it may be time for a change of scenery.
There was one of those on Wednesday incredible scoring nights for Zion Williamson, as he scored 25 points on 78.6 percent from the floor. When Williamson gets into foul trouble early, the team’s entire offense becomes a big guy, and while that’s great for him and his individual stats, it hurts Queen’s ability to impact the game.
Queen is the type of player who can be trusted as a decision maker because of his style of play and scoring, but the scoring side takes a huge hit when he shares the field with Williamson as they share similar scoring profiles. Moving Queen to the bench would give him a chance to lead the Pelicans’ second unit, a group in desperate need of an offensive spark and a steady creator.
In the sixth man role, Queen could maximize his strengths with the ball in his hands, give the bench a clear identity and prevent the attack from stagnating when the starters sit.
Aside from Queen’s offense, another factor that points to a change in the starting lineup is the incredible play Yves Missi has been putting on as of late, as he even played closeout minutes in the game with Brooklyn.
Missi forces Borrego’s hand
I’ve been speaking so highly of Missi and his play lately because he’s been a walking ball of energy off the bench for this team – coming into games and dropping the glass hardfighting for rebounds and delivering highlight blocks. On Wednesday, Missi had eight of his 12 points and seven of his 12 rebounds the first quarter alone. He added four assists, one monstrous blockand led the team in plus-minus as plus-23 for the rest of the game.
As a high-level rim protector, Missi is a much better fit next to Williamson, as Z and Queen both have similar defensive issues. Both lack the speed, size and discipline needed for at least one of your frontcourt players to compete defensively every night – deficiencies that Missi will help cover when he shares the court with Williamson.
While I think the entire NBA world agrees that Derik Queen is a much better long-term answer at center for the Pelicans than Missi, the clear move for the present is to put Missi next to Zion Williamson in the frontcourt.
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