Derik Queen talks recovery process at Back to Basketball Open Practice 2025| New Orleans Pelicans

It’s tough. A lot of conditioning, a lot of weight room, and just got to watch my teammates out there just playing five on five and them doing the whole practice while I can only do part partial of the practice. How much are they allowing you to do right now? Only like non-cont like five on their own stuff. Hey guys, how was the Australia trip? It was cool. It was fun. It was It was a lot different. It was colder than I expected, but it it was great. I love it. I’m going back. How much fun was tonight? It was definitely fun getting to see uh the fans uh just putting on a little show for them just uh getting to meet them and stuff. So, it was cool. How good was Future? I thought Future was great. And how’ that three-point shooting competition go? I saw Willie giving you a little bit of grief and it looked like you gave him some back when he started shooting. It was unexpected. Uh one of the one one of my teammates was like, “You in the three-point three-point shooting contest.” I said, “Wait, for real? I didn’t know. And then he was like, “Yeah.” And I had like a minute or two to shoot uh to get ready. What do you think of Willie shooting? Willie jump shot broke. So, how uh how early did y’all like give y’all the heads up on what y’all were going to be doing of the rookie thing? Uh yeah, they’ve been talking about this for weeks. For weeks? Yeah. But like yesterday is probably when we practiced. You guys that you practiced and that’s what it was. Yeah, it was there. Like he sent us to Tik Tok, but no. None of us really looked at it. Fair. What was the craziest animal in Australia? Uh kangaroo, a koala, and it was like these wild birds like they can go in like to anywhere like some It wasn’t flamingos, but it was like something like that. It was like a ostrich or something. What you uh been able just to learn about the team just being around the guys and actually seeing it working it out the past couple weeks? Uh everybody go hard. practice be physical and tough. Um, then everybody just trying to win. Everybody trying to get on the same page pretty much. What you thought about Zion, just seeing him up close and personal and just playing field. Uh, I remember this one play me and Herd was on the bench and then Zion just I think it was like three like 5 seconds left something like that. He just came down. It looked effortless as him going and beating the time. It was us going in halftime. It it was just crazy. But like he really good. it like some stuff just seem e effortless to him. What’s he been like just as a as a leader? Have you seen some of that in there? Yeah, like he just been talking to me about like my weight room. He say been through a lot of injuries and he get what I’m going through, but just like once once I’m I’m healthy and uh and I’m back, it’s everything I did is going to be worth it. Derek, what have you thought of Jeremiah so far and especially like his performance in game two after kind of not such a good performance I guess for him in game one? Uh Jeremiah tough as nails like um he been going at it with the older guys. He been uh in every rep. Um he been going at everybody going to the basket trying to get fouled going in there with the with the big guys. So do you like that attitude? Do you feel like you you and him really mesh because you guys are kind of the same in that respect? Uh yeah. I mean yeah we be talking about it just giving our opinions and stuff but yeah. And I mean there other rookies on the team. What’s it like just having him there to kind of go through the rookie experience with you? It’s great. Uh point guard. Uh I’ve been playing against him probably since like high school. Uh he he he never beat me neither. Uh so it it’s it’s great. It’s great having him on the team. Both young. Go ahead. Do you feel like you’re on track uh to play for the season opener? Uh I don’t know. I’m just trying to take it day by day. trying to get better. Hope hopefully in my mind I think I am but hopefully

New Orleans Pelicans forward-center Derik Queen post-practice interview from Oct. 10, 2025 at Pelicans Open Practice ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season.
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