VIDEO Q&A: Pelicans coach Corey Brewer, players Jeremiah Fears, Derik Queen talk summer league loss
I start with uh with DQ in the second half that he had I mean when you I think it was he had 6 turnovers early and then miss it, make *** shot, but the way he was able to bounce back, what does that say about him as *** player, especially in this kind of moment? Um, it shows that, you know, he’s *** special player. He’s talented, you know, first half wasn’t going his way, kind of got on him at halftime, let him know, come on man, just be yourself, go out there and play. These guys are young, you know, the rookies, their first game, you know, and basically the first NBA game. And he bounced back great. That’s what you wanna see if he plays like that second half every game, we’re gonna be just fine. I think it was uh there was *** time in the 3rd quarter y’all pulled him early in the 3rd quarter too. I kinda sat him down again. Was that kind of just reiterating that halftime message? Yeah, just trying to let him know, trying to calm his nerves also trying to let him know, come on man, you gotta, you gotta pick it up, you know, if you don’t pick it up, we’re gonna be in trouble and he did that. He kept us in the game. And he talked about wanting to put the ball in fear his hands and let him run the offense. What did you kinda see out there in his first game? Um I seen it. He’s young, young point guard, but he did *** good job. We just had way too many turnovers, the whole team like we don’t turn the ball over, we win by 10. We turn the ball over and we can’t make *** free throw. So that’s two things that can kill you in *** basketball game. Yeah, he was talking about in that first half kind of chirping back and forth with guys kind of getting the competitive stuff going. How much do you kinda see that in him just like doing the I I wanna do the zero fears thing, but kind of just just not being scared out there as *** young guy. Oh, he’s not scared, you know, you wouldn’t know he’s an 18 year old kid like he’s out. They’re playing like he’s *** grown man, which is great for us. He’s being vocal. He’s leading the guys, he’s bringing them in, talking, so for him that’s, that’s big. Seem like Mike Peavey made *** bunch of plays that kind of kept you guys within striking distance. What did you think of the way he played today? Pe plays hard, man. He, he does all the little things and he showed tonight, you know, he’s gonna get steals, he’s gonna guard guys. uh, he made some open shots, so for him it’s just keep getting better, keep developing. Eve Eve showed *** couple of things that maybe, maybe he didn’t have last year. What did you, uh, working on some stuff today. You can see look good missed *** few layoffs, but the way he got there was impressive and I think if he makes those, hey, we’ll be, we’ll we’ll be looking, look *** little different. We talked about how this is just *** new experience for you being in that head coach spot. What was it like the first game? Uh, it’s *** little different, you know, but it’s *** great experience for me getting to, you know, figure out how to run *** team, how to draw. Plays in different situations, so it’s good you know you can only grow. Derek had 3 assists, but 2 of them in the first quarter, kind of really impressive. What do you think of him as *** playmaker today? Um, he’s got to be better, but we know he’s gonna be better and he’s very talented and you can see, you see flashes of how good he’s gonna be and for him it’s good to get this first game out of the way and next game, trust me, he’ll be *** lot better. What do you think Derek’s potential can be? Uh, it’s, uh, through the roof, man. His potential is unlimited for us. We gotta, I gotta learn to use it, you know, you know, it’s my first time being *** head coach, so I gotta watch the film and see where I can get him the ball in better s spots in different situations so he can be *** playmaker. What’s to see him kind of carrying the chef just giving all the, the, uh, commentary by Tre text and all that. He was the selection. Do you see him using that as *** chip. I don’t know if you’re using *** chip for him he’s *** confident dude. I think he just know he feels like he’s that good, so he’s just gotta go out here and prove it and play it. I’ll ask you this again in preseason and probably again frequent season and what was it like actually uh being. Yeah, it was, it was super dope, um, went out there competing, got to play with *** lot of my new teammates for the first time, and we was going out, we went out there, we played hard and we did what we could do. What did you think of Tu’s second half? I mean, you, you start the way he does. It’s, it’s very easy to. You know, probably put your head down and, and, and have *** bad game, but I mean the way he bounced back in the second half was pretty impressive. He just continue to be resilient. Um, we’ve seen it *** ton in these last couple of practices, so him continuing to keep his, keep his, um, confidence and continue to keep going, keep continue to keep his motor as well is something that *** lot of our teammates can learn from as well, and he’s gonna continue to bring that every single game and it’s still very early in the process, but what are some of the key like differences you’re noticing? The NBA style of play versus what you were doing in college. Uh, really just continuing to go out there do what you do, um, and I’ll say the biggest thing is probably length it’s just *** lot taller, um, *** little more athletic, but other than that still basketball at the end of the day. What encouragement has Porter Moser given to you over the last couple of weeks, man, he’s given me *** lot of encouragement. um, he continued to reach out, text and call me still so that’s super, that’s super cool that he continue to reach out, um. And he’s just been telling me just continue to do what I do continue to trust your work and continue to put in work. What do you hope to accomplish in the summer? What ways can you help us help you get better? Um, just learning from every single game, every game, uh, is gonna be *** lesson, so the team will take some away from every single game and carry it on to the next game. Man it feels real now. I had my first game and I was out there, um, made some pretty good plays, and we, we played pretty hard. It seems like I do *** little chirping in that first half, but how much do you kinda enjoy that stuff when guys are going at it? Man, that’s, that’s something that you live for, um, just seeing somebody else that had the same passion as you, and they take the game so serious and I mean it brings passion to the game as well, continuing having somebody you can talk to, have somebody you can chirp to, and y’all get each other going and it’s motivational. Now what do people keep DQ to kind of get it going in the second half, uh, just continuing to keep his head, um, keep playing with the motor he got and just keep going. How impressed are you with his, uh, on the dribble game and his size and just kind of wa can face up and do what he does. It’s crazy, um, especially at this size you don’t see many, many dudes being able to to kind of make those type of moves and to kind of be able to pick your spots and. You can either play on the perimeter or in the post, so I mean that’s that’s something that I kind of take away from his game and I tell him like, bro, just continue to do what you do, keep your head no matter what it is, nice play mentality. How much do you think the turnovers as *** team was just you guys gotta spend more time getting used to playing with each other. Yeah, that’s, that’s definitely that was definitely *** key factor, uh, for this game we’re gonna continue to go back to the gym. We’re gonna watch family we’re gonna get better. Probably actually this again in the preseason and again for the actual first regular season game, but what was it like getting out there in the first NBA experience? Uh, it was great. Uh, I started out really, really bad and then like my teammates stuck with me, uh. I mean, I guess I call them vets for the summer league, but, but, but *** few of the older guys, uh, was just, was just giving me words of encouragement. The second half. I got it going, um, and then I, I, I kind of picked it up. Was there any like one moment that it click Bruce said he kind of talked to you at halftime and then early in that third they kind of sat you down and talked to you *** little bit. Is there anything that kind of helps you get going? Like, no, I mean, no, not really. It was just like. Like, I don’t know like it was my game like I feel like it’s my game to like kind of be like nonchalant but like at times I should like be be physical at times because because that’s why I I feel like I, I messed up or turned the ball over *** lot like I mean or I looked immature because I wasn’t physical enough but so once I understood stood it in the second, uh, half, uh, I, I felt like I picked it up. How much did that first bucket going in kinda help kinda get you going *** little bit? Uh. It was like it was *** little bit of *** lead and then I think I came down, turned the ball over. I was like and and and I got spit from my mouthpiece in my eyes so I was like so like and then the next one got got me going so like uh like. And did we get, and then we get to have enough, uh, enough time to really like, uh, play against each other *** lot? I mean we did, but like me to adapt to the physicality and the in the week I was there, but now like I feel like I have this game under my belt. I feel like I’m I’m gonna be great next game. What did you kinda see from Fis in that first game taking over that point guard role? Uh, I think Fis kinda did *** good job. Uh, it’s, it’s our first game. None of us are gonna be perfect, but. fans fans know what uh what he gotta do better. I know what he, uh, I gotta do better, but I felt like it was *** really good debut for him. Uh, talked *** little trash. Now that’s one guy I probably gotta learn from even though he younger than me, uh, uh, because he was bumping *** lot of people using his physicality, but, um. I feel like he, he had *** *** great debut. Did that surprise y’all see him chirping out there *** little bit in that first half? No, no, I mean he’s from Chicago, so. You mentioned the next game. How much do you look forward to just taking this experience of this game and trying to improve. I know like turnovers was an issue today, but I’m sure just getting more opportunity to really redemption I got to redeem myself because I know like I mean like I got 2 games. I mean like Twitter and. going crazy right now, so like I just got to redeem myself for me and and all the outside noise also in my team. I mean you had *** double double. I mean it was kind of sloppy, but I mean *** double-double is *** double-double, but it was kind of sloppy in the first half, but I think I flipped the switch in the second half. I mean. Like I, I, I adapt it in the second half, but uh even we told me um it’s gonna take me *** week to figure it out, but, uh, I’m, I, I, I feel like I got I got *** little bit of *** hang of it now. You, you, you mentioned it sounded like you were trying to be more aggressive in the second half. Did you feel like you were kind of reading things better too, like reading their defense, finding openings better? Uh, no, like, sometimes I, I beat my man. And then I try to make an unnecessary move or *** weak move and then he just played good defense and and got me to turn the ball over every single time so like it was like so second half I kind of understood it. Oh actually what kind what kind of guy going is one of the guys was talking trash and he was like. He didn’t even get in the game, uh, and that’s when he was like, you trash, you’re not even good at basketball, so I think that got me going. What’s what’s the key to keeping that switch flipped on Saturday? Oh, really, like, I mean. Like, I, I mean, I, I don’t know, trying to be the best on the floor at all times probably, but, um, uh, trying to compete it’s really not no switch but like uh uh like the way I play is the way I’ve been playing all my life and then like I, I mean *** lot of people say I have to turn it, turn it up like just just as as spurts so. I think this was one of the games where I had to turn up at spurts to get used to the physicality and the no calls and stuff, but I think I figured it out in the second half. I know you were talking about looking forward to playing with Eve. What was your takeaways from that first experience? I really wanted to get him that live, but Eve, yo, like I’m under the rim. He he’s so athletic. Eve under the rim just grabbing. All the all the rebounds and stuff, but like, and and I I feel like he’s gonna be like uh I mean we’re probably the same age, but he probably gonna be like *** good mentor or *** good big brother because he because he did go through *** whole 82 games. So, uh, and some of these so I think he’s gonna help me out *** lot.
VIDEO Q&A: Pelicans coach Corey Brewer, players Jeremiah Fears, Derik Queen talk summer league loss
Updated: 8:47 PM CDT Jul 10, 2025
The New Orleans Pelicans opened play in the NBA Las Vegas Summer League with a 98-91 loss to the Minnesota Timberwovles.Rookie first-round draft picks Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen were solid but inconsistent. Fears finished with 14 points but had 7 turnovers. Queen produced a double-double, going for 13 points and 10 rebounds and he also had 7 turnovers. Full post-game interviews with summer league head coach Corey Brewer and players Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen are attached.
LAS VEGAS —
The New Orleans Pelicans opened play in the NBA Las Vegas Summer League with a 98-91 loss to the Minnesota Timberwovles.
Rookie first-round draft picks Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen were solid but inconsistent.
Fears finished with 14 points but had 7 turnovers. Queen produced a double-double, going for 13 points and 10 rebounds and he also had 7 turnovers.
Full post-game interviews with summer league head coach Corey Brewer and players Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen are attached.