Pelicans Must Embrace the Jeremiah Fears-Derik Queen Era

There aren't too many positives with the New Orleans Pelicans through the first month of the 2025-26 NBA season. The Pelicans are one of the worst teams in the league, but they owe their 2026 first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks, so the fans can't even look at the bright side of their disappointing start to the season. Heading towards missing the playoffs for the second straight season, the Pelicans have no choice but to focus on their future rather than the present.

The only way to do so for the Pelicans is by embracing the Derik Queen-Jeremiah Fears era. Fears and Queen have been two of the best rookies in the first four weeks of the season, and they look like they can be the organizational centerpiece for a long time.

Pelicans' Future Belongs to Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen

Fears is a dynamic and creative point guard who has the chance to be one of the most exciting players in the league. He already has one of the best handles in the league, which allows him to beat his defender one-on-one and create space for himself. As a 19-year-old rookie who is starting at point guard, Fears obviously makes mistakes, including turning the ball over a lot. There will be growing pains, and there will be plenty of times where he hurts the Pelicans, but Fears' rookie campaign will be more about the flashes. And those have been very promising so far, on his way to averaging 15.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.7 steals per game on 53.3% True Shooting.

Queen, on the other hand, has taken longer to earn the trust of the coaching staff, but has been on a nice roll since becoming a big part of the rotation. He has become a starter under interim head coach James Borrego, and as the player with the best plus-minus on the team, the starting center spot should be his to lose. Queen also has a turnover issue, but his offensive talent is undeniable. He can score in a multitude of ways and create shots for himself and his teammates. He has a chance to be a modern and versatile offensive big man, with his ability to play in the post and on the perimeter. His swing skill will be his shooting (he is 1/10 from three so far) and his defense.

Fears and Queen have a chance to be a special duo offensively. How good they can be and how far they can take the Pelicans will depend on their defensive fit. Queen doesn't project to be a rim protector, but if he can be a switchable defender who can hold his own in the perimeter, he could be a very valuable center. Fears will need to get stronger, but he has decent positional size and strong instincts to at least be an average defender.

Every move the Pelicans make from now on has to keep in mind that Fears and Queen are their future. Every long-term piece they add has to help elevate the Fears-Queen partnership. This means that they need to target three-and-D type players who can thrive playing off the ball and make up for the two rookies' defensive shortcomings. Whether Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver are competent enough to execute this plan remains to be seen, but at least what the Pelicans need to do going forward is now clear.

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