Zion Williamson-Derik Queen Era Is Essentially Over in New Orleans

The New Orleans Pelicans have been winning at a better rate than they have been all season. They are 11-9 in their last 20 games and have been more competitive overall. Yet, they are still 13th in the Western Conference and don't have a chance to make a Play-In run. So, the best the Pelicans can hope for is more information about the roster so they can make better decisions in the offseason and build some positive momentum.

In recent weeks, it seems like the Pelicans have come to a valuable conclusion that may have lasting consequences for the team. Head coach James Borrego has largely abandoned the Zion Williamson-Derik Queen pairing, suggesting that the team will likely have to choose between the two in the offseason.

Pelicans Have Abandoned the Zion Williamson-Derik Queen Pairing

During the Pelicans' win over the Wizards on Sunday, Queen and Williamson didn't play a single second together on the court. Queen was strictly Williamson's backup, and Borrego played him exclusively next to DeAndre Jordan and Yves Missi, highlighting that the team currently sees him as a power forward rather than a center.

This has been a trend ever since Queen was benched eight games ago. It was initially to insert DeAndre Jordan into the starting lineup to give them more size and interior presence. When the Pelicans are fully healthy, however, they prefer to play a small-ball starting lineup with Williamson at five, surrounded by Murray, Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, and Saddiq Bey. Borrego has been increasingly reliant on this group, which has caused a reduction in Queen's minutes in recent weeks.

There is a very clear effort to split Williamson and Queen's time on the court as much as possible. Looking at the numbers, this is understandable. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Pelicans have a miserable -10.8 net rating when they share the floor. While the defensive issues with this pairing are well-documented (they have a 122.6 defensive rating), they don't score on the other end, either (111.8 offensive rating). These numbers are in line with the worst defense and fifth-worst offense in the league.

In contrast, the Pelicans have a -4.0 net rating with Queen on and Williamson off the floor. When Williamson is playing, and Queen is on the bench, however, the Pelicans are actually a good team, outscoring their opponents by 2.3 points per 100 possessions.

Therefore, the writing is on the wall for the Williamson-Queen pairing. Neither player is capable of playing the five, especially defensively. They each need to play next to a rim-protecting, rebounding center. On offense, their inability to shoot and be an off-ball threat makes them a tough fit with each other or another non-shooting center. Williamson and Queen splitting the 48 minutes of power forward is not the best use of resources for the Pelicans.

This was one of the big risks in the Pelicans' trade for Derik Queen. His fit with Williamson was always questionable, and now we have a season's worth of evidence against the viability of the pairing.

The Pelicans now have no choice but to part ways with Williamson or Queen. Considering that they gave up a very valuable first-round pick to acquire Queen last summer, Williamson's time in New Orleans is more likely to come to an end.