The most exciting thing about the 2025-26 New Orleans Pelicans season so far has been the performances of Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen. The two talented rookies have been two of the brightest performers of their draft class, earning starting roles early in the season and showing a sky-high upside.
Queen had gradually become a primary creator and an offensive hub for the Pelicans, especially during Zion Williamson’s absence. His production in the first month of the season has been nothing short of impressive, creating a ton of buzz about his potential.
Derik Queen’s Defensive Struggles Caused His Benching vs. Grizzlies
Over the last two games, however, Queen has seen his role reduced. Not only has his usage rate gone down to around 25% from over 30%, but he has seen a decline in his minutes, playing 17 minutes against the Bulls on Monday, and 23 minutes against the Grizzlies. In fact, he was benched against Memphis in overtime, not playing a single second. Yves Missi closed out the game, and played 29 minutes in total. The Pelicans were +23 in Missi’s minutes and -24 in Queen’s.
After leading the Pelicans in plus/minus metrics all season, Queen’s on/off splits have come back to earth. In fact, New Orleans has lost Queen’s minutes in each of the last three outings. The Pels were -37 in Queen’s 72 minutes over the last three games.
Where Queen is struggling is on the defensive end. The star rookie is still productive and effective offensively, but has been a negative defensively. Not only is Queen undersized for a center, but he lacks elite athleticism, mobility, or strength to make up for it. He doesn’t have the length and verticality to be a good rim protector, either. This prevents him from affecting shots near the basket or being an intimidator inside the paint. The Grizzlies routinely took advantage of Queen in the pick-and-roll and attacking the basket. This became a problem for the Pels in the fourth quarter as Memphis cut into their lead to tie the game. James Borrego then went to Missi down the stretch to close the game.
This type of fluctuation in performance is to be expected from any rookie, let alone a 20-year-old center in a starting role. The NBA season is long and every player will have his ups and downs. What Queen needs to do is to stay motivated and get better on the defensive end. A lot of his defensive improvement will come when he is fitter and stronger and adjusts to the pace of the NBA. There isn’t anything to worry about right now for Pelicans fans, but watching how Queen responds to this adversity will be fascinating to watch.
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