James Borrego Is in an Unenviable Position With Derik Queen & His Rookie Campaign

The New Orleans Pelicans head coach has work to do with Derik Queen and his understandable rookie mistakes.

Nov 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Derik Queen (22) shoots against Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Nine minutes into the New Orleans Pelicans' loss to the Lakers on Sunday, Derik Queen got blocked by Dalton Knecht on a drive. He thought he was fouled and proceeded to plead his case to the referees instead of getting back on defense. The Lakers got an easy transition three playing five-on-four and Knecht knocked it down to take the lead to 17 points. James Borrego immediately called a timeout, made gestures to Queen to indicate his need to get back on defense, and subbed him off.

This has been emblematic of the issues that have been ailing the Pelicans rookie in recent games. Queen was once again a team-worst -22 in his 28 minutes of action against the Lakers. The Pelicans have lost Queen's minutes in each of the last five games, and they are a whopping -63 in the 67 minutes he played in the last three games. He was benched in crunch time against the Bulls, Grizzlies, and the Warriors. If the game was close on Sunday, Queen was likely to be on the bench once again.

James Borrego Has His Hands Full With Derik Queen and His Recent Struggles

This is a concerning downward trend for a player who was the team's biggest silver lining to start the season. He was leading the team in on/off metrics for the first few weeks of the season and deservedly took over the starting role. He continues to have a large offensive role, but his lack of effort and intensity has been an issue throughout the campaign.

Queen already has enough physical and athletic limitations that he can't afford to give less than 100% on the court. He is undersized and underathletic. If he is behind the play, he is not going to sprint back into action and swat a shot from behind. He is not a deterrent at the rim with his length. To be an effective defensive player, he needs to be in the right position, move his feet, and make good reads. That requires him to get back on defense, close out on shooters, and help out at the rim.

So far, he has been lacking in those areas. As a result, the Pelicans' already-porous defense is significantly worse with him on the floor. The Pelicans give up 122.6 points per 100 possessions when he is on the court, which would be the second-worst defense in the NBA, per Cleaning the Glass data.

This makes it hard for Borrego to play Queen extended minutes. Pelicans fans want to see more of their star rookies in action and that is understandable. This is already a lost season and Queen has been one of the few bright spots. Borrego needs to find the right balance between giving fans what they want, giving developmental minutes to Queen, and making sure he doesn't build bad habits.

For a coach who is trying to secure the permanent role, that is a difficult task. Whether Queen gives the Pelicans the best chance to win games in the present is a complicated question to answer, and one that likely keeps Borrego up at night.