It’s rare to see a big man who acts as a hub offensively, scores off the dribble, and generates open shots for others, all playing under control, all while playing under control, especially for a rookie. That’s what makes Derik Queen such an intriguing young talent and someone many believe the Pelicans should build around. We’ve seen teams like the Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets build around Nikola Jokić and Alperen Sengun, two players with similar skill sets.
The reason having a big man like this is deadly isn’t just that Queen can make the right read as a passer, but because he is such a scoring threat himself. Any time he gets two feet in the paint, the defense is forced to collapse. This leads to open looks on the perimeter for shooters and open layups/dunks for cutters.
Queen is averaging 12.4 points per game, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game, and while those numbers aren’t Jokić or Şengün level, he is still a rookie getting rookie minutes. His per-36 stats better reflect what could be expected from him as the star of the offense—18.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists.
But building around Queen isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, as there is one major flaw in his game. He's lackluster defensively, especially from a north-south standpoint. DQ struggles to move in a straight line, which often leads to gaps in the Pelicans' defensive coverage. This makes life harder for his teammates, who are then forced to cover more space defensively.
Senior Writer at The Athletic, Sam Vecenie, highlighted this in the most recent episode of the Game Theory Podcast, as an obstacle the Pelicans will face when building around Queen.
So what can the Pelicans do to overcome this obstacle?
In my opinion, the Pelicans should start following the Denver Nuggets' formula for building around Jokić, with some minor tweaks. And they definitely are closer than you might think.
They have their Jamal Murray in Jeremiah Fears, a fast-scoring guard, and their sniper in Trey Murphy III, who possesses the same elite shooting ability as Michael Porter Jr. did for the 2022 Nuggets. I think you keep Herb Jones on the other wing, as DQ is slightly worse defensively than Jokić, and keeping Jones gives you just another person who can bail out Queen defensively.
But the biggest key is figuring out who’s going to be your Aaron Gordon.
Gordon came in from day one with Denver and was exactly who Jokić needed as a frontcourt pairing. AG not only defends at an elite level but also fills gaps defensively and is a brilliant rotater. That’s exactly what the Pelicans need next to DQ, to help fill up the gaps his north-south struggles create.
With Zion Williamson's days looking numbered in New Orleans, the franchise is looking for someone to shift the focus to. Queen can be that guy, but the Pelicans can't just surround him with anyone; they need specific players with specific skill sets.