Derik Queen earned some top-notch praise on Wednesday night from Nikola Jokic that had New Orleans Pelicans fans raising an eyebrow or two. When Jokic was asked if he sees some of himself in Queen, Jokic's response left no doubt. "I can see it, yeah," he said.
This is the player many would consider to be the best in the entire world we're talking about here. For Jokic to say he can see real similarities between himself and New Orleans' rookie, that speaks volumes about the kind of talent the Pelicans have on their hands.
"He has some moves," Jokic said of Queen. "He's unorthodox. Great touch around the rim, feel for the game. It's good to see somebody different."
These comments come just a week and a half after former San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan also had some comments of his own about the Pelicans' rookie. New Orleans' color commentator, Antonio Daniels, said during a broadcast that Duncan sent him a text during the game and said, "I really like that Queen guy."
Derik Queen continues to receive praise from some of the game's best
This all serves as a lot of validation for Pelicans fans who have been excited about Derik since day one. It's obvious that New Orleans got an unfair amount of criticism for trading up 10 spots to draft him while surrendering their own 2026 first-round selection. That was seen as quite an overpay at the time it happened, but that sentiment is losing traction with every day that passes.
Queen is drawing comparisons to a "baby Jokic" just about every time he touches the floor. His passing touch, feel for the game, and positioning all make him an extremely impactful player who is already changing how opponents play against the Pelicans.
Derik has his own unique elements to his game as well. He's far more athletic than number 15 in Denver is, and he's able to guard multiple positions effectively while bringing more two-way impact to the game as well. He's clearly already ahead of schedule when it comes to development, and that's a very exciting notion for Pelicans fans.
Those in New Orleans were already beginning to see they had a truly special player on their hands, but now Derik Queen is going to become far more difficult for the national audience to ignore as well. Getting this kind of praise from multiple NBA legends only serves to further validate