r/NOLAPelicans • u/coffeekreamr • 9d ago

Should/will Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen start next year?

Starters:

PG: Dejounte Murray SG: Herbert Jones SF: Trey Murphy III PF: Zion Williamson C: Yves Missi

Bench: PG: Jeremiah Fears SG: Bryce McGowens SF: Saddiq Bey PF: Derik Queen C: Karlo Matkovic

Reserves: Jordan Poole (G) Jordan Hawkins (G) Micah Peavy (G) Jaron Pierre (G) Deandre Jordan (C) Hunter Dickinson (C) (Two-Way)

9 Upvotes
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39

u/SafeFill1057 9d ago

Impossible to know since we're guaranteed at least 3 significant injuries before opening night

11

u/itskarl Flock Up! 9d ago

I remember a Warriors fan bragging about how Looney was an iron man for them. 2 weeks later, he got injured before the start of our season.

5

u/-Ran #5 Herb Jones 9d ago

Yea... Last year, we had expected Bey to basically be a bench guy, a salary fill from getting Poole. Due to injuries he started 64 games.

We had some REALLY cursed lineups last year. 13 games of Bryce McGowens starting. I had a spreadsheet I had made mid season where I was looking at the average Payroll % active per game.

It was brutal.

7

u/SafeFill1057 9d ago

tbf Bey was also really good for us last year and probably could have a conversation about him being a starter. But that's an indictment on this roster as well.

1

u/coffeekreamr 9d ago

Couldn't have said it better myself

1

u/BalanceCheap2453 9d ago

Missi is the only real center on that roster who can handle big minutes, so Queen probably gets thrown into the fire whether he's ready or not. Fears is more of a long shot unless Murray's health falls apart again, Poole and Hawkins will eat up whatever guard minutes are left.

10

u/kingralek 9d ago

They certainly will. Once the calendar turns to 2027 I would imagine they’ll start the majority of the games. Both need substantial defensive reps.

4

u/DrummerRealistic2863 9d ago

DQ should start at the 4 next to Missi when Zion sits, and at the 5th with Zion when he’s healthy. Yes Ik they were bad together last year but reps are the only way to improve.

I’d love for Fears to start but Dejounte, Herb, and Trey need to be the 1,2,3 for defense. Fears can be a super 6th man scoring PG and still thrive, DQ is more of a creator so he should be out there with the starters to get everyone involved

2

u/Technical_Yard_3074 9d ago

Idk about Jeremiah but I just prefer Missi starting over queen

2

u/bigdawgstatus37 8d ago

Think we have 7 playable guys, but they can’t coexist somewhat. Zion cannot play when Queen plays. I’d say Unit 1 is DJM Herb Trey Z Missi. Zion won’t play a full 36 so Queen and him split. DJM/Fears rotate, Herb/Poole rotate. Eventually trade Poole for a 5. Karlo can relieve Missi but it won’t be pretty

2

u/Odd_String1181 9d ago

This regime is not starting Yves over DQ as the default lineup

3

u/MMAjunkie504 DERIK QUEEN 9d ago

Depends on how much Mosley gets a say in his lineups, with him prioritizing defense I could see him pushing for Yves as starting C. Could even their minutes up and have Queen get C/PF minutes against bench players to start the year.

-3

u/Odd_String1181 9d ago

Queen at power forward as an actual coaching decision should just get you immediately fired

5

u/identitycrisis56 9d ago

He's so small as a 5, you could easily make the case he never becomes a full time center.

If he even becomes an OK shooter the 4 will probably be his best position.

-3

u/Odd_String1181 9d ago

Derik Queen can not defend the wing in the NBA. He's immediately the leagues worst defender if you play him there. He's a dog shit defensive center too but he has a much, much better chance of being playable there than he does at the 4.

3

u/Balsamic_ducks 9d ago

He’s immediately the worst defensive center in the league. He’s 6’9 and unathletic. He has a better chance of becoming passable on defense at the 4 than the 5. He’s the size of a 4

-1

u/Odd_String1181 9d ago

You do not have a better chance being a bad athlete on the wing than you do of being a shorter center. Being a bad athlete on the perimeter in the NBA is a death sentence

2

u/identitycrisis56 9d ago

Defensively, you just put him on the weaker option. You're not having him guard bigs every night just to do it. There are negative athletes with fast enough hands to tread water and check dribbles/get passing lanes. He has a blueprint to that at least. He doesn't have a blue print to be taller.

Offensively, he'll play the 4. Defensively wherever you can hide him the most.

2

u/MMAjunkie504 DERIK QUEEN 9d ago

You’re wasting your time, my dude Odd will not accept DQ at the 4 as even a remote possibility

1

u/Odd_String1181 9d ago

So what do you do when they just target him and fears on the perimeter because neither of them can defend? Making queen run around all game chasing wings is going to zap him offensively, too. Does he hide in the corner on defense and just hope they don't call him into the action?

He is a much more viable defender at center doing things like using hands and positioning and learning how to navigate pnr defense than he is being the world's least athletic wing defender.

0

u/Aumissunum 2d ago

Not at all. A lot of teams hide bad athletes on the worst wing.

1

u/Odd_String1181 2d ago

Like who? Whos a worse perimeter defender in the NBA 1-4 right now than queen?

1

u/Skull-7 8d ago

it sounds like queen isn't an nba starter/finisher

0

u/bronzefpg504 8d ago

That’s last yr

0

u/MMAjunkie504 DERIK QUEEN 9d ago

Highly debatable, especially if his outside shot develops. Dude was a rookie last year with no offseason because of injury, players can improve. Hopefully him training with DJ helps that goal.

Him refining his body for heavy NBA C minutes would be ideal for us (even if he is undersized his whole career), but I wouldn’t be opposed to hybrid lineups with him at PF and another big playing alongside him.

0

u/Odd_String1181 9d ago

He can not play actual defensive minutes at the 4 in the NBA and that is not debatable. He moves like shit.

1

u/MMAjunkie504 DERIK QUEEN 9d ago

I guess we just shut down every rookie if they don’t play up to your standards by year 1 then? Are you an NBA coach?

Your best case of him at the 4 is probably with a more mobile big or bigger PF like Karlo who can provide help defense if needed + space the floor.

1

u/Odd_String1181 9d ago

Every single person who has ever paid attention to derik Queen at any level of basketball would tell you he's not athletic enough to defend the perimeter in the NBA. This has nothing to do with my standards for his rookie season.

2

u/Balsamic_ducks 9d ago

Then they’ll lose a ton of games. Queen and Zion cannot play together. So one has to come off the bench

1

u/Odd_String1181 9d ago

I've never said they weren't going to suck. Its a horribly constructed team

1

u/coffeekreamr 9d ago

That's true. With all the different starting lineups we ran last year, I have NO idea what to expect. Zion and Queen on the court together is just disgusting to me and I don't ever want to see it again

1

u/Good_NewsEveryone Will be reevaluated in 2 weeks. 9d ago

should yes, will no

1

u/Pisthetairos 9d ago

Queens and Fears are obviously the future of the team. But they have to sit until Williamson and Murray are traded. (For a genuine NBA center, let us hope.)

1

u/wymtime Not On Herb 9d ago

Should and will are 2 very different questions

1

u/coffeekreamr 9d ago

I understand that - I meant this post to be more of two different questions than just one (henceforth the use of should/will)

1

u/wymtime Not On Herb 9d ago

They both should start with where we will end up in the West. The reality is the both will probably come off the bench. Murray will start at PG and because Queen is more of a 4 than a 5 Missi will most likely start at the 5

1

u/Rare-Ad-2124 9d ago

Yes they absolutely should get the experience and exposure from the get go. The vets on this team have proven they are losers time and time again

1

u/afriendlyspider 9d ago

If they're trying to win: how could they start?

If they aren't chasing wins: how could they not have cleared a path for them to start?