Derik Queen's strong summer league continues with another double-double performance
When the New Orleans Pelicans' executive vice president of basketball operations, Joe Dumars, made the move to trade up on draft night and select Derik Queen out of Maryland with the 13th overall pick, it was met with criticism and a lot of head scratching. However, after the NBA Summer League began in Las Vegas on July 10th, Queen has come out of the gate swinging, finishing with two double-doubles through two games. Last night, he made it three-straight, against the Portland Trail Blazers, led by new addition Yan Hansen. Queen poured in 17 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks in 28 minutes of action.
3 games, 3 double-doubles for Derik Queen
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) July 16, 2025
13 PTS/10 REB
12 PTS/13 REB
17 PTS/10 REB pic.twitter.com/iuONTsrtjn
Queen also finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds in his debut against the Timberwolves, followed by a 12-point-13-rebound performance against the Lakers. He's improved his Summer League averages to 14 points, 11 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and shooting 44% from the field per game. Queen has displayed a dynamic, tremendous skill set on the offensive side, blowing past slower big men off the dribble with his smooth handles and speed. He's played physically, showing the ability to finish with nice touch and play through contact despite facing up against bigger defenders. He's even sprinkled in glimpses of spreading the floor with a mid-range touch.
Last night's performance by Queen showed the NBA world why the Pelicans were keen on drafting him, showing the dynamic play style he brings not only as a scorer, but playmaking and athletic ability on the defensive end. He still needs time to polish things on both ends, especially with turning the ball over less, but the sky is the limit for the kid, and he'll only keep developing as play goes on in the Summer League. New Orleans is building a nice young core down there that will be exciting to watch for years to come, and Queen will be a big part of that.
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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.