With less the four minutes left to go against the San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green left rookies Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen on the court.

Who could blame him? They were playing some of the best basketball on the team. Unlike four of the five starters, both rookies finished on the right side of the +/- section of the box score. Fears was +7 and Queen was +5.

"When you evaluate those two guys on the floor with our group, the future is bright," said Green after the game. "I saw a lot of poise from both guys throughout the whole game. You can see it. they want it."

Everyone knew these rookies had upside. That was the whole reason they were taken in the first round, in the first 13 picks of what has become an incredibly strong rookie class.

No one expected them to look just as good as they have so far this season. Well, except for the two of them.

"I keep telling everybody, Jeremiah the one," said Queen of his fellow rookie.

Fears had 13 points, four rebounds, one assist and two steals in 29 minutes.

"[Queen's performance] was super dope," said Fears. "He didn't play in the preseason, so he didn't really have a feel for our team or the pace. But just to go out there and contribute, play hard and compete no matter who he's going against."

Queen set career highs across the board while being the Pelicans' only real big man against the dominant Victor Wembanyama. He finished with 15 points, six rebounds, an assist, a steal and two blocks. He did foul out, but that was towards the end of overtime on a take foul.

More so than just anything on the box score, it was the confidence that stood out for the two of them.

Fears can already get to his spot in the paint with ease, and from multiple angles. He's 12-of-18 from the field through his first two games. He looks strong and unafraid of competing against bigger players on the boards, which is something New Orleans desperately needs.

Queen has already taken the ball coast-to-coast twice, which is just a glimpse into the playmaking big that he hopes to become. 

His offensive bag has been talked about endlessly. The really surprising thing was just how good he looked on the defensive side of the ball against Wembanyama. Queen even got the 7-foot-5 center to foul out.

"[What the rookies are doing] is crazy," said Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III. "When I was 19, I was at Rice University, and I would not have been able to contribute to an NBA game, so major kudos to them. They are well beyond their years in that aspect, so they're just going to keep building, keep contributing and the future is really bright."

That is a phrase that keeps getting repeated with these two. Queen is just 20 years old. Fears turned 19 just eight days before this game. The future is indeed bright, but the present is pretty fun too.