Queen started all 36 of his appearances during his lone season at Maryland, averaging 16.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.1 steals in 30.4 minutes. The 6-foot-10, 245-pound big man was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors. Queen was nearly unguardable in college when his footwork was on point. He got into trouble when he tried to do too much and only relied on his athleticism to get looks, but those are typical growing pains for a freshman who's by far the best offensive player on their team. Queen has a lethal face-up game, where he can blow by bigger defenders or bully small ones, and his work in transition is elite, which both culminate in a ton of free-throw attempts. The jumper isn't up to par yet, but Queen has a fluid motion and shoots with confidence. He's also not a technically sound defender, but he has the size, athleticism and versatility to excel on that end of the court eventually. Queen's upside could rival Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, who are the consensus top-3 picks, but the Maryland product is a riskier selection. At 6-foot-10, Queen isn't a true center, which isn't a dealbreaker in today's NBA, but it does raise questions: which position will he play, and who will he be able to guard at the next level? The Pelicans are taking a chance on his upside after selecting him No. 13 overall. However, the fit between him, Zion Williamson and Yves Missi is complex at best and untenable at worst. Williamson has been constantly injured during his career; however, this means there could be plenty of games where Queen sees an elevated role. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a two-year, $10.57 million contract with the Pelicans in July of 2025. Contract includes $5.67 million team option for 2027-28.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary
After an incredible season at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, which included a 56-point game, Queen was named the MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year and transferred to Montverde Academy in Florida. It took some time for Queen to earn playing time at the high-school powerhouse, but he emerged as a star by his senior season and earned MVP honors at the 2024 McDonald's All-American Game. Queen started all 36 of his appearances during his lone season at Maryland, averaging 16.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.1 steals in 30.4 minutes. The 6-foot-10, 245-pound big man was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors. Queen was nearly unguardable in college when his footwork was on point. He got into trouble when he tried to do too much and only relied on his athleticism to get looks, but those are normal growing pains for a freshman who's by far the best offensive player on their team. Queen has a lethal face-up game, where he can blow by bigger defenders or bully small ones, and his work in transition is elite, which both culminate in a ton of free-throw attempts. The jumper isn't up to par yet, but Queen has a fluid motion and shoots with confidence. He's also not a technically sound defender, but he has the size, athleticism and versatility to excel on that end of the court eventually. Queen's upside could rival Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, who are the consensus top-3 picks, but the Maryland product is a riskier selection. At 6-foot-10, Queen isn't a true center, which isn't a dealbreaker in today's NBA, but it does raise questions: which position will he play, and who will he be able to guard at the next level? Given his size, strength and face-up game, the easiest comparison to make is Zach Randolph, who excelled as an undersized big for the Grizzlies. Julius Randle (6-9, 249) and Alperen Sengun (6-11, 243) are two current players who have similar builds to Queen, but they have drastically different styles. Queen has the skills and potential to transform into either of those players, but it's unclear what development he'll prioritize at the next level.
Productive in loss
CNew Orleans Pelicans
December 2, 2025
Queen totaled 21 points (8-15 FG, 5-8 FT), eight rebounds, six assists and one steal across 39 minutes during Tuesday's 149-142 overtime loss to the Timberwolves.
ANALYSIS Queen turned in his best performance in almost two weeks, logging a season-high 39 minutes in the process. With Zion Williamson set to miss an extended period due to an adductor injury, Queen's spot in the rotation just became a little clearer. As we have seen in recent times, there will be some wild shifts in production, something managers will have to brace for.
2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Starting/Off Bench
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2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Days Rest
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2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Vs Opp
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2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - By Result
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Advanced Stats
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2025
Stat Review
How does Derik Queen compare to other players?
This section compares his stats with all players from the previous three seasons (minimum 200 minutes played)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
True Shooting %
An advanced statistic that measures a player's efficiency at shooting the ball that takes field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three point percentage into account.
Effective Field Goal %
A statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points while field goals only count for two points.
3-Point Attempt Rate
Percentage of field goal attempts from three point range.
Free Throw Rate
Number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt.
Offensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available offensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Defensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available defensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Total Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Assist %
An estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while they were on the floor.
Steal %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal by the player while they were on the floor.
Block %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent two-point field goal attempts blocked by the player while they were on the floor.
Turnover %
An estimate of turnovers committed per 100 plays.
Usage %
An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while they were on the floor.
Fantasy Points Per Game
NBA Fantasy Points Per Game.
Fantasy Points Per Minute
NBA Fantasy Points Per Minute.
True Shooting %
54.7%
Effective Field Goal %
48.6%
3-Point Attempt Rate
7.7%
Free Throw Rate
40.0%
Offensive Rebound %
7.8%
Defensive Rebound %
20.8%
Total Rebound %
13.9%
Assist %
22.3%
Steal %
1.8%
Block %
3.0%
Turnover %
12.7%
Usage %
22.9%
Fantasy Points Per Game
28.1
Fantasy Points Per Minute
1.1
Total
Per Game
Per 36
NBA Historical Fantasy Stats
How are these ratings calculated?
Our historical fantasy ratings are standard scores calculated using 8-Category settings with 12 teams and 13 players per team.
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NBA Per Game Historical Fantasy Stats
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NBA Per 36 Historical Fantasy Stats
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Historical ADP
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Pelicans Depth Chart
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Average Fantasy Points are determined when Derik Queen was active vs. non-active during the season. Click here to view average fantasy points for a different time period.
Minutes
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Sorare
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More Fantasy News
Goes for 15 in loss
CNew Orleans Pelicans
December 1, 2025
Queen racked up 15 points (4-12 FG, 7-8 FT), seven rebounds, three assists and one steal in 28 minutes during Sunday's 133-121 loss to the Lakers.
ANALYSIS Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Limited to 17 minutes
CNew Orleans Pelicans
November 25, 2025
Queen contributed eight points (4-9 FG), five rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal across 17 minutes during Monday's 143-130 win over Chicago.
ANALYSIS Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Fills stat sheet once again
CNew Orleans Pelicans
November 22, 2025
Queen racked up 20 points (6-14 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 8-8 FT), nine rebounds, three assists, one block and two steals in 32 minutes during Saturday's 115-98 loss to the Hawks.
ANALYSIS Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Scores 20 points with 11 dimes
CNew Orleans Pelicans
November 21, 2025
Queen popped off for 20 points (8-17 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 4-5 FT), seven rebounds, 11 assists, one steal and four turnovers in 32 minutes during Friday's 118-115 loss to the Mavericks.
ANALYSIS Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Logs career scoring high in loss
CNew Orleans Pelicans
November 19, 2025
Queen contributed 30 points (12-18 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 5-8 FT), nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks across 30 minutes in Wednesday's 125-118 loss to the Nuggets.
ANALYSIS Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Latest Fantasy Rumors
Set for new role
CNew Orleans Pelicans
November 17, 2025
Queen made his first start of the 2025-26 regular season Sunday against the Warriors.
ANALYSIS Queen didn't have the best night with nine points, seven rebounds, six assists and two blocks across 25 minutes, and he attempted just four shots from the field. However, it's notable that he started in coach James Borrego's first game in charge, and the coach said after the game that he'd like to see the rookie become more involved in the offense, according to Pelicans Film Room. "We were asking a lot of him in the defensive coverage tonight," Borrego said. "I thought he executed, he stayed in the game... We were so sped up that we probably didn't utilize him enough in the half-court offensively."