Derik Queen Announced To The NBA Rising Stars Game
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What was Joe Dumars thinking? That's what the consensus was back in June of the 2025 NBA Draft, when the Head of Basketball Operations for the New Orleans Pelicans made a huge trade to add future talent to the roster alongside the core of young star Zion Williamson, Herbert Jones, and injured guard Dejounte Murray.
New Orleans decided to trade the No. 23 pick within the 2025 NBA Draft, and an unprotected 2026 first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks to move up to the No. 13 pick and select Queen with the pick.
Now, 216 days later, that move looks like a huge steal for the future of this organization. Queen is posting averages of....
12.1 points, on 48.4% shooting from the floor to go along with 7.4 rebounds (1.7 ORPG & 5.6 DRPG), 4.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.9 blocks in 48 games played.
Now, Queen is an NBA Rookie Rising Star and will be playing for Vince Carter's squad during All-Star weekend. This is what Carter had to say about selecting Queen fourth overall in the Rising Stars Draft :
Congrats to our guy @derikqueen1 on being named a 2026 Rising Star! ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/IKDZO4TlFR
— Maryland Men’s Basketball (@TerrapinHoops) January 27, 2026
Saying he picked Queen partly because “he can make plays, he can score, he can throw lobs. He can do it all.”
Queen has had some huge performances already in his young career:
- He set a career-high at the time with a 30-point outing against Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets back on November 19th.
Derik Queen, absolute baller
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 20, 2025
career-high, 30 PTS (12/18 FG)
9 REB
4 AST
2 BLK
2 STL pic.twitter.com/tB21UXOBay
- Secured his first career double-double performance (20 points & 11 rebounds) just a game later in an NBA Cup matchup on the road against the Dallas Mavericks.
- Followed by setting a new career-high on Dec. 8th in a three-point loss against the San Antonio Spurs. Queen scored 33 points, shooting 11-of-15 from the field, 11-of-13 at the free-throw line, to go along with 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and secured the first-ever triple-double of his career.
Queen and his fellow rookie teammate, Jeremiah Fears, have been consistent presences for New Orleans. Queen has appeared in 48 of 49 total games, and Fears has appeared in all 49 total games. This has been despite the absence of Williamson, Jones, Murray, Jordan Poole, Trey Alexander, and more.
Queen has been a revelation when on the floor, operating as a point-forward despite being a center. He has a great handle that creates opportunities for himself and his teammates. He has a great set of moves from the elbow that allows him to get inside at will and blow by slower big men covering him. His court vision is excellent, which allows him to see the floor well and play ahead of the opposition.
The young Baltimore native has continued to make the DMV proud, and it'll be exciting to see him play in front of a national audience and showcase his skills.
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Jaden's sports journalism career began at the College of Southern Maryland from 2022-2023, where he was brought in to cover baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, and volleyball at CSM. In late 2023, he began interning at the University of Maryland Athletics Department as a contributing writer to help develop feature stories and game recaps. He also creates his own sports media content on professional Washington teams with LegacyMaker Sports Network.