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 is devastating news for the Pelicans front office and their fans, as Queen was one of the few reasons why there was excitement around the Pelicans' 2025-26 season.
New Orleans gave up a lot to draft Queen at pick No. 13 in the 2025 NBA draft, which already turned off many fans. Joe Dumars traded away an unprotected pick swap in 2026, as well as the No. 23 pick (Asa Newell) for the Maryland big. But now, with him suffering an injury before his career even officially started, this move has only gotten worse in the eyes of Pelicans fans.
With Queen's timeline for re-evaluation being 12 weeks, that means he won't be ready to be looked at until October 10th. Queen will miss training camp and won't be prepared for the start of preseason basketball. And because Queen is a rookie, those training camp and preseason reps are extremely important for him to get acclimated to the Pelicans system. That time is supposed to be used for learning plays and building on court chemistry, but instead, he'll be watching from the sidelines, which will only make it harder for him to get minutes when he is cleared to play.
Queen was showing promise in the summer league, and in his last appearance, which came against the Trail Blazers, he looked dominant. He scored 17 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dished out 3 assists. However, it was when head coach Corey Brewer took Yves Missi out and let Queen be the only big on the floor that he really impressed. This gave him the chance to be the offensive hub he was in college, grabbing rebounds and pushing the pace offensively, driving to the basket, and creating opportunities for others.
His performance against the Blazers was so good that I felt it solidified him as the Pelicans' second-string center going into next season. So, when the news broke about this injury, it's safe to say I was devastated.
Looking on the Brightside
I'm not always the most positive writer, but with such disappointing news, it's important to look on the bright side, as things could be a lot worse. Queen's timeline for recovery could be a lot worse, as he is only expected to miss the start of the 2025-26 season and will come back hungry and ready to silence his doubters.
It's also important to remember that this same injury could've happened to his shooting hand/wrist, which would have affected his play for the rest of his career. Instead, it happened to his non-shooting hand/wrist and won't affect the way he shoots and scores the basketball long term. He could have torn something in his knee and left question marks surrounding his health for the rest of his career, but he didn't. Queen will likely shake this injury off and be fine for the rest of his NBA career.
While this injury sucks for Queen, the Pelicans, and their fans, at least he is only missing a couple of months instead of an entire season like Chet Holmgren did in his rookie year.