Derik Queen has an opportunity to take his game to a new level in his second season as a pro, thanks to a trip to the NBA Finals and some important advice from Karl-Anthony Towns and Jose Alvarado.
Queen was one of the few bright spots for the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2025-2026 season. The 13th overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, along with fellow rookie Jeremiah Fears, showcased star potential during their first season in the NBA.
Queen has already received plenty of praise from inside and outside the Pelicans organization. The talent and potential are clearly there for the University of Maryland alum to become an NBA superstar.
Queen must first avoid the dreaded sophomore slump. One way he can do that is by listening to other players who have been in the league longer than he has. It also helps if those players have found significant success in the NBA.
Queen has been hanging around the NBA Finals as an NBA player correspondent. As a result, he has received some very valuable advice from his more experienced peers.
Learning never stops for DQ
Queen took time to interview his former teammate, Jose Alvarado, during one of the New York Knicks’ practices. Alvarado’s advice to Queen was simple: “shut up and listen.” Alvarado continued, “You learn from the moments that you weren’t the kid who was trying to act like he knew it all.”
@PelicansNBA rookie Derik Queen interviews his former teammate Jose Alvarado at NBA Finals Game 2 Media Day.
— NBA (@NBA) June 4, 2026
Knicks (1-0) Spurs Game 2: Friday at 8:30pm/et on ABC 🏆 pic.twitter.com/vbSPsr34uT
Alvarado and Queen only played half a season together before New Orleans traded the undrafted point guard to the Knicks.
Another Knicks player also had advice for Queen during the NBA finals. Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the best big men in the NBA. Now he finds himself just a couple of games away from winning his first NBA title.
Towns gave advice based on the perspective of a big man in the NBA. “I’ve seen it firsthand,” Towns said. “I think, for me, it’d be more about locking into the film consistently. Never leave the gym, be infatuated with the work.”
"The real gift about experience is that you’ll find ways to accomplish the same goal and get the stats with using way less energy,” Towns continued. "And with that, that’s where experience really kicks in, and it’s a beauty.”
Neither Alvarado nor Towns gave advice that Queen couldn’t have gotten from someone else. But it means so much more coming from two guys who are playing pivotal roles in the success of a team in the NBA Finals. In an important offseason, Queen already is doing the right things. Being around the NBA Finals and seeing what it takes to be a winner in the NBA can only help the Pelicans' young big man.
Let’s just hope that Queen takes the advice he is getting from Alvarado and Towns to heart. It’s going to be interesting to see what improvements Queen can make in his sophomore season.
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