Rookie Jeremiah Fears shattered records with historic scoring bursts, while Derik Queen showcased immense playmaking potential despite defensive struggles. Here are grades for the New Orleans Pelicans ' rookies.
The New Orleans Pelicans star rookie duo of Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen are rookies no longer, as they have wrapped up their first years in the NBA. There were plenty of ups and downs for both, but the overall vibe is very positive inside the building for them.
Here are grades for their first years in the NBA:
G Jeremiah Fears: A-
It was an interesting rookie year for Fears, but one that should have Pelicans fans really excited about the future of their franchise. He looks like he could be en route to becoming a very impactful guard in the NBA.
Fears found himself starting just three games into his career, less than two weeks after he turned 19. He immediately found his scoring touch and looked comfortable getting to his spots on the court. The best basketball, though, didn't come until he got benched later in the season as the team got healthier.
It forced the rookie to take a step back and really focus on the things that he needed to show growth with. His playmaking still has a way to go. He was often guilty of tunnel vision, but it massively improved as the season went on. Over the final 30 games, his assist numbers jumped up to 4.2 from 2.9.
His last three games, when New Orleans sat its starters, were historic. He finished with 40 points and then 36 points twice. He became the first teenager in league history to score at least 35 points in three straight games.
Overall for the year, he averaged 14.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists on 43.4/33.0/78.9 shooting splits. Pretty much everything improved as the season went on, which is about as much as the team could have asked from him.
F/C Derik Queen: B
Before that final stretch, Queen probably had higher highs than Fears throughout the year. He also had far lower lows, though. That's why it averages out to a 'B.'
This grade has nothing to do with the trade that the Pelicans made to get him. Putting that on him is unfair, as it wasn't his decision, though it definitely is a cloud that hangs over every discussion about him.
Looking just at what he did on the court, there was a lot to like about Queen. He finished in the top five for rookies in a lot of categories, like both rebounds and assists.
Before the final few games of the season, he was the only rookie to have a triple-double, of which he had two and almost had a couple more. He was a points, rebounds and assists machine for a while.
People view him as a potential engine for an NBA offense, given his unique skillset, but he has a long way to go before he can be trusted with that role. He is just 21 years old after all.
The reason that this grade wasn't higher is just because of how poor his defense was, and his inconsistent effort. Teams picked on him because he needs to put on some muscle to compete in the paint. His finesse style worked on offense, but not on defense, and it made him unplayable at times.
A lot to like, but a lot to address.