Derik Queen is slowly becoming a fan favorite for the New Orleans Pelicans, as he put up another robust performance yesterday. In the team’s 101-99 win over the Dallas Mavericks, Queen had 11 points, seven rebounds, and three steals on 3-for-8 shooting in 26 minutes of action.
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With Queen finding his feet, the New Orleans Pelicans have now won two games in a row for the first time this season, improving to a 2-6 record. After last night’s road win, head coach Willie Green took time to praise his rookie center.
“He is so intelligent. You guys aren’t privy to the questions he asks us, but he is asking questions every film session. He makes you think. He makes you go back to the drawing board and make sure you have good answers for him,” Green said of Queen via the Pelicans Film Room.
“He doesn’t take anything too serious. He brings a lot of life to our group, always laughing, always smiling but he is a competitor. Don’t take that smile and that laugh for granted,” he added.
New Orleans Pelicans News: Derik Queen gives props to his veteran, DeAndre Jordan
Derik Queen and DeAndre Jordan recently had a heartwarming locker-room moment when the latter urged the former to stand up while being interviewed, following his all-around performance against the Charlotte Hornets.
“DJ just kept being the vocal point. We added him to our group chat, and he just, two days later, he automatically sent us a text. Nobody got to really know him, and he just motivated us. And we got some dubs,” Queen said of Jordan.
With Zion Williamson sidelined for at least one week due to a hamstring injury, Queen is expected to play more minutes, with Jordan cheering him on.
