Late Friday afternoon, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Pelicans forward/center Derik Queen underwent surgery to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in his left wrist and will be re-evaluated in 12 weeks. This was very disappointing news for the Pelicans organization, as they gave up two significant assets to acquire the rookie big during the 2025 NBA Draft.
However, injuries create opportunities for other players to establish themselves. With the Pelicans' center rotation semi-questionable and Yves Missi's struggling during the summer league, this could be the perfect chance for Karlo Matković to solidify himself as part of the Pelicans' rotation.
Matković had a successful rookie year in the NBA last season, posting averages of 7.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game in just under 19 minutes per game. With Queen going down, Matković is the next man up behind Yves Missi and Kevon Looney, setting him up for a potential breakout season in 2025-26.
The opportunity is there he just needs to take it
Matković is an extremely talented big man who can do a bit of everything, but especially thrives in the pick and roll. The 24-year-old was in the 92nd percentile in scoring efficiency at the rim this past season among bigs, according to cleaning the glass.
Outside of his ability to finish at the rim, the near 7-footer has also shown flashes of being a stretch five. In his seven games as a starter last season, he shot 38% from three on three attempts per game. While seven games is an extremely small sample size, it shows that there is potential for him to grow into a real stretch five. With the Pelicans trading away Kelly Olynyk, they are missing a floor spacer at the five, making Matković's skill set an exciting addition to the Pelicans' rotation.
Defensively, he's solid and has great instincts around the rim. Last season, he averaged 1.0 blocks and 0.5 steals per game. Matković thrives in drop coverage but still has work to do when it comes to guarding the perimeter.
With Queen's re-evaluation set to take place on October 10th, he'll likely miss all of preseason and training camp, giving Matković the perfect opportunity to establish himself as part of the Pelicans rotation. The fact that he's coming off a strong rookie season and is already familiar with Willie Green's system should give him the edge over Hunter Dickinson, who is on a two-way deal and is entering his first season in the NBA.
With Derik Queen likely watching from the sidelines, to start the 2025-26 season, the opportunity is there for Matković to become a real part of the Pelicans. He needs to take it and run with it.