Pelicans' Rookies Still Offering Bright Future Despite Down Season

New Orleans' rookie duo of Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen once again proved why they are a part of one of the best franchise classes in the NBA.

Feb 20, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Derik Queen (22) dribbles against Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma (18) during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

It's quite clear that the New Orleans Pelicans have a bright future despite not owning their 2026 first-round pick. That's because their current group of young players has been impressive to watch, even though they're currently 14th in the Western Conference at 15-42.

The Pelicans suffered another loss last night, this time to the Milwaukee Bucks, 139-118. At this point, the season isn't about winning, but seeing the rookie duo of Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears develop. The two youngsters showed up once again versus Milwaukee.

Fears, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, put up 16 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals on 7-of-13 shooting from the field. He shot 0-for-3 from deep, but did a solid job of getting to the rim in 29 minutes off the bench.

The Oklahoma product is averaging 13.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game for the Pelicans, in serious contention for an All-Rookie team. He has been getting most of his opportunities off the bench, but Fears is taking advantage of them in a major way.

Queen, on the other hand, has started more and thus produced more. The former Maryland Terrapin stuffed the stat sheet against the Bucks, recording 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks on 7-of-10 shooting from the field.

Similar to Fears, Queen didn't nail a three-pointer, but also didn't take one in 28 minutes as a starter. He displayed many of the strengths people noted coming out of the draft: solid scoring, but more of an all-around play style, able to contribute on the boards and in distributing the basketball.

Queen is averaging 12.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game on 50-28-77 shooting splits. While many Pelicans are concerned that they traded their 2026 first-round pick (unprotected) to take him at 13th overall, Queen is still showing that he can become a star in this league, which at least improves the sentiment. This rookie duo could end up becoming one of the best guard-center duos.

If Fears and Queen can continue to produce in New Orleans, the franchise could have two players make an All-Rookie team for the first time in history. Only seven players have ever received the honor, four being on the first team (Zion Williamson, Anthony Davis, Darren Collison and Chris Paul) and three being on the second team (Yves Missi, Herb Jones and Marcus Thornton).