This pick originally belonged to the Atlanta Hawks but was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans have selected Derik Queen with the 13th overall pick in the NBA Draft. Derik Queen was drafted out of Maryland as a center. He is listed as 6’10 and is 19 years old. Last season, he averaged 16.5 points, 1.9 assists, 9 rebounds, and a 52.9 FG%. He will provide a lot of offensive upside for the New Orleans Pelicans but could work on his rebounding and defensive side of the ball.
Derik Queen Will Provide Offense to the New Orleans Pelicans
Everything that is being reported suggests that Queen will be an offensive upgrade for New Orleans. A center averaging 16 points and almost 10 rebounds in college will certainly raise some eyes. Queen will join Jeremiah Fears in New Orleans, who was taken with the 7th overall pick in the first round. The Pelicans are building a solid young core.
Queen is said to be an excellent passer despite being undersized for his position. He seems like an athletic big man if that makes any sense at all. There certainly won’t be any issue with having a big man who can shoot, just ask the Denver Nuggets how they like having Nikola Jokic on their team. This is not a direct comparison of course, but offensive-minded big men are hard to come by in the NBA. The Pelicans now have more young options on their roster than they can count.
Final Thoughts
New Orleans made a good pick with Derik Queen. He’s very offensive-minded and is an elite passer, which is always welcome on any NBA squad. Zion Williamson and Derik Queen are big men in New Orleans with big offensive potential. Of course, it always comes down to staying healthy with Zion, but this is a good pick for New Orleans.
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