Throughout the Summer League, Derik Queen has been under a lot of criticism from Pelicans fans and people around the NBA. However, Tuesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers, Queen showed that his early struggles aren't necessarily his fault. Against the Blazers, he saw his first real reps at center with Yves Missi on the bench, and Queen looked amazing.
Derik Queen had by far his best game of the entire summer league against the Blazers, and it was all because he was allowed to play like himself. If New Orleans wants to maximize Queen's potential, they have to let him play the five.
Throughout high school and college, Queen always played center, so it makes sense that he struggled sharing the court with another big, and last night proved that. Midway through the first quarter, Missi was subbed out, and Queen took over from the end of the first quarter to a couple of minutes into the second. Queen, during this time led a 15-5 Pelicans run. He finished the half with 11 points and 5 rebounds, as well as the best plus-minus out of the starters.
During his time as the only big man on the floor, Queen showed why Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver were so high on him. He was grabbing rebounds, pushing the ball and finishing at the other end. He showed off his physicality and soft touch when attacking the basket. With more space to operate, Queen looked more comfortable putting the ball on the floor and creating his own path to the basket.
He is the type of player a coach has to let do his own thing, and we saw that against Portland. This was the type of performance fans were waiting for from Queen, as he looked extremely comfortable and relaxed on both ends.
It wasn't just his scoring that looked better
Despite having eight turnovers, most of those came while Queen shared the floor with Missi. This is expected, as both guys operate in similar spots and get in each other's way because all they've ever known is playing center.
However, one play stands out from a playmaking point of view: in the early 4th quarter, he grabs an offensive rebound, steps through a defender on the baseline, and hits Chase Hunter for the wide-open three. That possession honestly sealed it for me, as not only did Queen out-hustle two Blazers players to get the rebounds, but he also made an excellent read that resulted in three points.
However, it wasn't just his offensive game that improved when he played the five; his defense also looked better. You could see a significant difference when looking at how Queen guarded when sharing the floor with Missi rather than when he was out there by himself. His positioning was better, his anticipation was better, and he matched up better as he rarely had to go guard on the perimeter.
It’s clear that New Orleans has been misusing Queen by forcing him to play out of position at the four. With only one Summer League game remaining Wednesday night, Corey Brewer needs to let Queen play his natural position at the five. The Pelicans should try to avoid pairing him with Yves Missi, allowing Queen to showcase what he can really do.