NBA Notes: Pelicans, Jeremiah Fears, Magic, Skal Labissiere, Suns

It’s been a mixed bag so far in Las Vegas for Pelicans lottery picks Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears, and that’s OK. As The Athletic’s Will Guillory reports, both flashed potential during Tuesday’s action.

In that game, Queen posted a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards, while Fears chipped in 14 points in 23 minutes.

But the rookie duo also combined for 14 of the team’s 25 turnovers, showing the adjustment ahead as they transition to the NBA level.

Either way, new head of basketball operations Joe Dumars has stood by his offseason moves, and frankly, he should. They’ve been solid.

Skal steady and still searching

Skal Labissiere is the veteran presence on Orlando’s Summer League squad, and by a wide margin. The 29-year-old big man, a first-round pick back in 2016, said that he’s not playing to prove anything but rather hoping to land one more NBA opportunity, via The Orlando Sentinel’s Jason Beede.

“We talk about opportunity … It only takes one,” Magic Summer League coach Ameer Bahhur said. “For him, he’s been doing it at a high level for a long time. He knows who he is and now it’s just continuing to show that he’s progressed.”

Huntley drawing early comps

Suns rookie CJ Huntley has caught the eye of Summer League head coach DeMarre Carroll, who sees flashes of Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen in the two-way forward.

“Just with his force to the rim. Anytime he gets it in the paint, he’s putting it in the rim,” Carroll said, via Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. “He’s just got to continue to keep rolling with force, keep playing with that force and keep developing and I think he’ll be OK.”