Derik Queen Interview from 2025 Pelicans Media Day | New Orleans Pelicans
What’s up? It’s good. It was fun. Think about the way you wanted to. I know. It’s sad. Uh what’s kind of been the focus uh you know as you kind of going through the rehab process trying to get ready for the start of the season? Uh conditioning. Um I mean I’m I I’m very limited right now. Uh just conditioning uh lower body and one hand like form shooting. We were told that you know who Lance Armstrong is now. Yeah. Can tell a story. Yeah. Talk about what you can do though and what you’re trying to your goals are to before you can actually like use your hand. Uh my goals are get um like like my lower body stronger, get uh more shape faster. Um get my core right and just and just build like just build muscle memory in my onehand uh form shooting. So when I put my other hand on the ball, it can be cash. Are you trying to run the glass? Yeah, I am. I am. Mhm. What is Looney and VC uh done to help you? How how are they beneficial in your uh I haven’t really spent a lot of time with those guys yet. Uh like like Eve, he was in um Eve was in Cameroon. He’d been here like a week or two, but we um uh we had different times of like training like when we worked out. So, I really haven’t spent a lot of time with him. And uh in Lon uh you know it’s this like yeah year nine I think eight or nine something like that for him. So he he just came so I haven’t really spent a lot of time yet. Where are you at? Where are you like mentally just having to go through what you’re going through? Uh I’m fine now. just I’m I’m almost at the end uh hopefully uh a month or a little bit over a month uh that I’ll be ready to play. What was it like at the beginning when it happened? Yeah, it sucks cuz it was like my my first time ever missing games. Um and like my first ever real hurt. Am I going to Can I get uh like how long is the process? Um, how long will it take? Uh, will I be able to play the first game? Just a lot of questions. How do you expect them to be ready for the start of the season? Uh, I hope so. I don’t I don’t know. I hope so. Your only taste of action was in the summer league, but what does it feel like just being in the NBA now? Uh, I mean, it’s just like I don’t know. I’m just It’s It’s cool. It’s It’s fine. It’s uh just waiting to get out there on the court. I I really don’t have like a a feeling yet cuz uh like I haven’t been around all the guys or been on the on the floor yet. So, you haven’t really had to endure any rookie hazing or anything like that yet? No, not yet. You haven’t been told of your duties? Yeah, I’ve I’ve been told a few. What’s it like just getting familiar with the city, you know, getting to know some of the people here and just get to know your new home? Uh I actually don’t leave my place a lot. So uh I need to but I mean everything is like kind of kind of close to where I’m at and stuff. So it’s like uh it’s like it can be a drive or a walk like a a few minute drive or a few minute walk stuff just in and out of places. So really don’t talk to nobody have had my hoodie on just leave just uh go in get food or whatever I I get and just leave right out. I I don’t really don’t make conversation. Ter, you said you haven’t really talked to all your teammates yet, but who have you connected to the most since you got drafted? Uh, so like I have talked to all my teammates. It was like like in a locker room like we uh like we talk, but like it’s it’s just different periods of times where we working out at, but sometimes we all end up in a locker room just talking and stuff. But I feel like uh definitely uh my lock is next to Trey and and both of the rookies is the main people I’ve been talking to really and uh Herb also just like it just scattered around a lot but I feel like they the four like that I see like mostly and talk to mostly from from some of these now. What have you learned both like kind of like working with the people that you’re conditioning with, but also kind of watching maybe some of the vets who’ve been in and out of the building and just the the level of intensity that it takes to succeed at at this level? Yeah. Uh I be telling my uh I’ll be telling Stan, the strength coach, that I’ll be like when I be watching them hoop like they they just be moving. They just be running up and down the court uh and stuff. So, I’m just just watching while I’m on a bike and uh just trying to like and just trying to get out there and just going to keep up with the pace and and intensity and stuff. Did you feel like you’ve made a lot of progress in your conditioning uh despite not being able to play a lot of basketball? I mean, yeah. I haven’t really been on the court to sprint or or test B. I mean, I’ve did I I’ve done like a uh a few like basketball drills like with bodies out, but I had my brace on. Uh and of course, nobody touched me stuff, but like uh I felt good being out there. How much does it What does it feel like for you knowing that you know Dum Mars and Weaver, they wanted you so bad. They did trade that next year’s first round pick. just knowing that they valued you so much to be able to uh to make that trade. I mean, yeah. Uh just got we just going to go out there and win this year. Uh hopefully I can have a good rookie season. Um have a good team season. Uh make the playoffs and stuff and just and just turn the uh I mean, not necessarily turn the turn the program around or the organization around, but to be better than uh in the past years. you told us that he talked to you about like conditioning, what you can be doing now. What have your conversations been like with say Willie Green? Uh yeah, Coach Green um he just been he he just asked me what’s what was my concerns. Uh he see me over there working and um and like not I mean like we had talked briefly. He asked me how my day going and stuff, but not really dissecting yet because um he he do got all all these other guys to to focus on right now, but hopefully we going to get a chance to uh chop it up top. How much have you been able to see uh kind of put in work this summer and what do you think about just the way y’all been able to work together on the court? Yes, I am athletic and and uh of course I watched him over the years and hopefully I could throw him throw him a lot of lobs, get them open, set screens for him and stuff just and and and just helping and just helping like just him putting me in good positions and hopefully I can put him in good positions to for us to to work off each other. Like I’m throwing lobs, setting screens and stuff. I mean, he ain’t gonna throw no loud to me, but but him just helped me out just be a teacher. A lot of people are excited about your pretend like a modernday big passing, playmaking. Do you watch guys like Shangun or Sabonis? Uh yeah. Uh I watch him a little bit and and Joe D always send me like reals about about them. Do Instagram like that? No, I I I don’t know. I don’t know what it what is on. I think he I think he haven’t sent me one in a minute, but I think it’s like a I think he screen recorded or somebody sent it to him or something. That’s it. Appreciate. Gotcha.
New Orleans Pelicans center/forward Derik Queen addressed the media at 2025-26 Pelicans Media Day on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.
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2 comments
Wearing number 22. I hope he plays that Larry role and plays it well. Excited for his rookie year
Why do the Pelicans keep drafting these out of shape players?….dont they know we n Nawlins.