Remember this iconic Derik Queen tweet? No? I wouldn't blame you if you didn't. Ever since Derik Queen marked his game against the Atlanta Hawks (January 7th, 2026) on the calendar, his rookie season has fallen off the rails for the New Orleans Pelicans.
In fact, Queen has seen more than 25 minutes of playing time in only 21 of 37 games in the 2026 calendar year for the Pels - that's good for just shy of 57 percent. Compare this to the start of the year, and it's a completely different story.
Derik Queen's playing time has fallen off a cliff
Early on in the season, Derik Queen was doing everything imaginable in his power to justify the New Orleans' front office. Their trigger-happy trade to acquire him can only be described as incredibly bold, or incredibly stupid. In December, more than a few folks were leaning towards the former, thanks to Queen's play.
Queen posted stat lines such as 20-7-11, 26-7-4, 30-9-4, and even a whopping 33-point triple-double before this sudden falloff before the 2025 holiday season. He was even compared to a young Nikola Jokic for his unorthodox style of play and unique blend of scoring and playmaking at his size and speed.
So what happened?
The Pelicans' defense plummeted with Derik Queen on the floor
Despite Derik Queen's impressive offense - headlined by some eye-popping highlight reel moments throughout the year - his defense has left far too much to be desired for a team looking to compete immediately.
Derik Queen is starkly juxtaposed by the Baylor product Yves Missi. Missi's lack of offensive bag - especially an outside shot - was likely a huge reason behind New Orleans' desire to pair him with an offensively-minded big man in Queen. Unfortunately, the two are categorically awful when sharing the same floor.
In Queen + Missi minutes, the Pels have posted an abysmal -18.0 net rating in nearly 200 minutes of playing time. Therefore, New Orleans has had to choose between the two, and Missi seems to have outdueled Queen for a team looking to win now.
In Queen minutes with Missi on the bench, the Pels post a respectable 115 offensive rating, but a below-average 121.4 defensive rating, good for -6.4 net rating across nearly 1500 minutes.
In Missi's minutes without Queen, the Pels generate a similar 114.3 offensive rating and a less painful 115.6 defensive rating, only -1.3 in nearly 1000 minutes.
Queen's lack of immediate defensive production shouldn't be held against him in the slightest. After all, he was viewed as a project big coming out of Maryland. In total, his rookie season should have been seen as a success - had it not been for the fact that the Pelicans are now bereft of their 2026 first-round pick, where the Hawks will likely be selecting 8th or higher in a ludicrous draft class.
Instead, New Orleans can only look longingly into the draft, wondering what could have been - left only with the consolation prize of Derik Queen (not to mention, having also given up Asa Newell in the process).