New Orleans Pelicans rookie Derik Queen put together his best outing so far against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, and he caught the attention of Nikola Jokić.
Jokić had high praise for Queen after he posted 30 points, nine boards, two steals and two blocks on Wednesday.
“He’s good. He has some moves, he’s definitely pretty crafty,” Jokić said. “He’s unorthodox, great touch around the rim, great feel for the game. It’s good to see somebody different.”
Queen has drawn some comparisons to Jokić, earning the nickname “Baby Jokić” while at Maryland, and the three-time MVP sees some of those comparisons in his game.
“I think I’m a little bit taller, but I think there is that style, I guess you’d say, crafty,” he said. “I could see it, yeah.”
But Jokić added that he thinks Queen will be good enough to shed those comparisons and become his own player.
“You can see some similarities. I don’t want people to see him and tell me he’s something like me. I think he’s a good enough player that he’ll have his own story.”
For years, Stephen Curry and players who live behind the arc shaped a generation of basketball players, but now players like Queen are modeling their game after Jokić, and for good reason.
“It feels good to leave a mark behind you, and players look up to your playing style and want to copy it,” Jokić said.
The Pelicans are off to a 2-13 start to the season and don’t have much to celebrate early on, but a promising rookie like Queen gives them at least something to look forward to, especially if his career follows that of Jokić.