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Derik Queen has played an integral role for the New Orleans Pelicans of late, and the 13th pick in the draft has earned a bit of praise from those around him, as a result.
Queen sparked the Pelicans to their first win of the season on Tuesday, producing all 12 of his points in the fourth quarter to defeat the Charlotte Hornets. He responded with 11 points and seven rebounds on Wednesday in a narrow victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
The 20-year-old has shown why the Pelicans traded up to draft him, from his ability to work in the post to pushing the break to dropping in pinpoint passes to his teammates. Pelicans guard Saddiq Bey has also been impressed with another element of his game.
"He has been great, man," Bey said Friday after practice. "He battled (a wrist injury) before this season, so it is great to see him out there being able to finish games, have the ball in his hands. Defensively, I know people don't really give him that much credit, but I think, defensively, he has won us games down the stretch playing great pick-and-roll defense."
Queen is averaging 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals on 46.9% shooting from the field in eight appearances. He has scored in double figures four times, including a 15-point, six-rebound performance on Oct. 24 in an overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
The reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year saw inconsistent minutes to begin the season, but he has forced coach Willie Green to feature him more prominently. He has responded by making a tremendous impact on games, something the team has needed after some early struggles.
Queen, along with fellow rookie Jeremiah Fears, will be needed moving forward, with Zion Williamson (hamstring), Jordan Poole (quad) and Dejounte Murray (Achilles) sidelined. The team has full confidence in them to contribute at high levels on the court.
"We trust them," Green said. "That is the biggest thing right now. It is the most important component: We trust Jeremiah with the ball. We trust Derik with the ball. They both do a good job of playing off their teammates, finding them. If they got shots, they will take them. It is going to be a collective effort, but we definitely need those two guys to continue to step on the floor and be them."
This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Pelicans news: Saddiq Bey names underrated skill of Derik Queen
Continue reading...
Queen sparked the Pelicans to their first win of the season on Tuesday, producing all 12 of his points in the fourth quarter to defeat the Charlotte Hornets. He responded with 11 points and seven rebounds on Wednesday in a narrow victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
The 20-year-old has shown why the Pelicans traded up to draft him, from his ability to work in the post to pushing the break to dropping in pinpoint passes to his teammates. Pelicans guard Saddiq Bey has also been impressed with another element of his game.
"He has been great, man," Bey said Friday after practice. "He battled (a wrist injury) before this season, so it is great to see him out there being able to finish games, have the ball in his hands. Defensively, I know people don't really give him that much credit, but I think, defensively, he has won us games down the stretch playing great pick-and-roll defense."
Queen is averaging 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals on 46.9% shooting from the field in eight appearances. He has scored in double figures four times, including a 15-point, six-rebound performance on Oct. 24 in an overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
The reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year saw inconsistent minutes to begin the season, but he has forced coach Willie Green to feature him more prominently. He has responded by making a tremendous impact on games, something the team has needed after some early struggles.
Queen, along with fellow rookie Jeremiah Fears, will be needed moving forward, with Zion Williamson (hamstring), Jordan Poole (quad) and Dejounte Murray (Achilles) sidelined. The team has full confidence in them to contribute at high levels on the court.
"We trust them," Green said. "That is the biggest thing right now. It is the most important component: We trust Jeremiah with the ball. We trust Derik with the ball. They both do a good job of playing off their teammates, finding them. If they got shots, they will take them. It is going to be a collective effort, but we definitely need those two guys to continue to step on the floor and be them."
This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Pelicans news: Saddiq Bey names underrated skill of Derik Queen
Continue reading...
