After missing the New Orleans Pelicans’ last eight games with a hamstring injury, Zion Williamson returned to action against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. During Williamson’s absence, the Pelicans went through a head coaching and a starting lineup change. Integrating the star power forward back into the starting lineup amid a six-game losing streak and going up against one of the best teams in the league could have been challenging.

Instead, the new starting frontcourt pairing of Williamson and Derik Queen passed their first big test and should give Pelicans fans something to be hopeful about.

Pelicans Continue to Win Zion Williamson-Derik Queen Minutes

Going up against Nikola Jokic, the Pelicans’ big men held their own for large portions of the game. The Denver Nuggets had the second-best offense coming into the game, scoring 123.8 per 100 possessions. The Pelicans were able to hold them to a 115.9 offensive rating. Jokic had nine turnovers for the game and fouled out in 34 minutes of action.

The Nuggets still had enough to take care of business against the Pelicans, but the reason for the loss for New Orleans wasn’t the Williamson-Queen pairing. In fact, the Pelicans won the minutes with both players on the floor. Williamson was a +14 in his 29 minutes, and the Pels were neutral in Queen’s 30 minutes. The coveted rookie finished with 30 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks, while Williamson added 14 points, six rebounds, five assists, a steal, and a block.

With Trey Murphy next to Queen and Williamson, the Pelicans could have a very dangerous trio. Murphy’s shooting opens up the floor, making things easy for the two bruising big men. Williamson and Queen are both good passers and can create good looks for Murphy. It’s not a coincidence that Murphy was able to get up a season-high 12 three-pointers on Wednesday.

After the game, head coach James Borrego said that the Pelicans found something with the Zion-Murphy-Queen trio, adding, “I gotta find a way to utilize the 3 of them and I am figuring it out with them as we go… I love the potential here offensively and what we can do with these guys,” per Pelicans Film Room on X.

For the season, the Pelicans have a whopping +24.2 net rating when Williamson and Queen share the floor. They would have the best offense in the league by a mile with a 134.2 offensive rating, per Cleaning the Glass. The sample size is obviously small, with only 120 possessions for the season, but this is clearly something to be excited about.

In a season where very little is going right for the Pelicans, one of the biggest storylines to watch will be how Williamson and Queen, ideally with Jeremiah Fears and Murphy sharing the floor with them, fare together as a pairing.

More New Orleans Pelicans Content: