The New Orleans Pelicans' rookies Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears clashed in the NBA's Rising Stars event on Friday night.
The New Orleans Pelicans don't have a heavy presence on All-Star weekend, but two of their young stars did take the stage for Friday night's Rising Stars tournament.
The format for the event, meant to shine a light on the top young players in the game, was different this year. Similar to the actual All-Star game, the player pool was drafted into four separate teams.
That means, despite both being rookies, Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears actually competed against each other. Queen was the fourth overall selection, Vince Carter's second pick. Fears was the first pick of the fifth round, joining Carmelo Anthony's team.
Both players had notable performances, with one winning the entire event.
Starting with the champion, Queen showcased his well-rounded skillset with four points, five rebounds and seven assists in 16 minutes of play en route to the championship.
Having someone like him, who sees the court like a veteran point guard with the ball in his hands, is a massive advantage in formats like this. Teams don't have that much time to work with each other before the event, so Queen's natural passing ability was a difference maker.
He forms immediate chemistry with players. It's part of the reason his rookie campaign got off to such a hot start despite not having a real preseason due to injury. It'll eventually be a draw for free agents once Queen gets his legs under him in the league.
There's a reason that many are calling for the Pelicans to blow it up and build around the big man.
While Fears and Team Melo didn't walk out with a win, the rookie guard still made an impact. In 12 minutes of work, he put up 10 points, two rebounds and two assists.
Similar to Queen's passing, Fears just has an innate ability to score. That's why he became the youngest guard in NBA history to reach ten 20-point games earlier this month (per Real App).
Before the game, Fears and Queen both joked about how excited they were to play against each other on NBA socials.
"I'm already undefeated versus Jeremiah, so i'mma keep that streak going today," joked Queen. The rookie center backed it up and ended up getting the last laugh.