The New Orleans Pelicans finally made an offseason splash last week when Bennedict Mathurin agreed to a two-year $16 million deal to come to the Bayou. Mathurin comes in with an established resume as a bucket-getting guard who thrives at attacking the rim and getting to the free-throw line. The downside with Mathurin is he is very ball-dominant, isn’t a high-level three-point shooter, and can struggle off the ball. With him expected to slot in as a primary option for Jamahl Mosley off the bench, sophomores Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen could suffer.
Both Fears and Queen had awesome rookie campaigns that saw them earn All-Rookie Second Team honors. They also both played nearly every game, with Fears appearing in all 82 and Queen missing only one game. Fears averaged 14.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. And Queen posted an impressive all-around stat line for a big man of 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.
The picture many fans were painting in their heads ahead of their second seasons in the NBA was of New Orleans’ young duo leading the second unit. But Mathurin and his style of play entering the picture complicate things.
Mathurin's signing complicates Fears’ and Queen’s development
Mathurin joins the Pelicans after a solid 2025-26 season he split between the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Clippers. Mathurin’s fourth season in the league saw him average 17.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists while shooting 43 percent from the field and 31.5 percent from three. Adding a player of that production to a Pelicans team that won 26 games last season is a massive win on paper. However, that is now a player joining a second unit who needs a good amount of touches to a group that already had three big mouths to feed between Fears, Queen, and Saddiq Bey.
Given that Bey had a career year last season and is a veteran, his touches likely won’t suffer; it’ll likely instead be Queen and Fears.
This goes back to the point I make all the time: New Orleans' approach to playing a young timeline and a win-now one doesn’t work. When you have two exciting young players who crushed it in their rookie years, the first thing you want to do is give them more PT in year two, not less. But just from the outside looking in, it feels like at least to start next season Fears and Queen’s minutes will take a hit.
The only thing that gives me hope that New Orleans sophomore duo won’t see their growth stunted is Jamahl Mosley. Back in Orlando, Mosley developed a ton of young talent and was part of a massive retool and culture reset. He understands how important it is to give young guys minutes and let them grow and struggle, so maybe that's a silver lining.
But even though the Mathurin addition was an incredibly cheap add, it could definitely leave a negative mark on the Pelicans' two most important long-term pieces.
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