NEW ORLEANS — As Derik Queen scrolled through his X account ahead of Monday night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs, one graphic caught his eye.

The New Orleans Pelicans rookie enjoys looking through social media to conjure up inspiration from his doubters, but this particular graphic didn’t say anything about Queen. It was a list of the top prospects for the 2026 NBA draft and a declarative statement Queen took exception to.

“Somebody said (the 2026 class) is going to be better than us. Or that’s the best class,” he recalled. “We’re definitely the best class. Up and down the charts, we’re going to be the better class. We have the better players.”

Queen was the 13th overall pick in the 2025 class, which has already grabbed the attention of fans throughout the league because so many of its players are already making an impact.

Queen was the latest to do so on Monday, making history in just his 25th game as a pro with a career-high 33 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and four blocks in a 135-132 loss to the Spurs. The 20-year-old big man is the first rookie in history to record 30-plus points, 10-plus rebounds, 10-plus assists and 4-plus blocks in a single game.

A major reason behind the Pelicans’ loss was the performance of Spurs rookie Dylan Harper, the No. 2 pick in June. The 19-year-old tallied 22 points and six assists off the bench, including a clutch right-hand layup with 9.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter that put the Spurs up for good.

“I think he’s being him,” De’Aaron Fox told The Athletic. “That’s why everybody had him as a top two pick.”

Harper’s layup came just after Queen bullied his way into the lane for a right-hand layup of his own with 30 seconds remaining that briefly gave New Orleans a one-point lead. Harper led the Spurs with nine points in the fourth quarter, while Queen’s monstrous 29-point second half helped the Pelicans claw their way back from a 25-point deficit.

Monday’s captivating back-and-forth between two first-year players was just one example of the fearless approach so many of this year’s rookies have put on full display.

“Me and Dylan spent some time (together) during the summer. … I’m happy for him. I played against him in college. He’s a really good player. I’m just looking forward to more battles against him,” Queen said. “We’re just going to keep getting better and just keep on building great rivalries and keep being competitive.”

American pipeline takes an upturn

For De’Aaron Fox, this rookie class is showing that while the American basketball pipeline may have fallen behind in recent years, things are starting to turn around.

“It’s great that a lot of them are American, that’s for sure,” Fox said. “A lot of them are obviously getting playing time. Once you start getting comfortable in this league, that’s when you elevate your game, especially once you start to gain that confidence. Whenever you have that confidence, I think the sky’s the limit.”

Confidence comes from repetition, and that process paid off for Harper in crunch time. When Harper arrived for training camp, he was having a bit of trouble deciding when to go to a floater and when to attack the rim hard.

“I was a little iffy, a little hesitant like, yeah, I’m the new guy trying to feel it out,” Harper said. “But as the season kept going, my teammates and coaches, everyone encouraged me just to be me. So I think plays like that just show that I’m going to attack no matter what. I’m going to get to the line, even if I get there and foul me. But just have that mindset to get to the paint.”

In the opening months of the season, Harper’s main objective has been to build that confidence so he could start to look like the guy the Spurs scouted last season.

“I think whenever you start getting comfortable in this league, it might start looking like you’re a different player. But that’s the guy we drafted,” Fox said. “That’s the guy who we want him to be and he’s starting to get comfortable after getting his feet wet.”

With comfort comes composure. It’s not just the confidence to get to your finishing moves or seek contact. It’s understanding what the game is calling for and cutting down on mistakes. The game rewards consistency more than flashiness.

You don’t get bonus points for a spectacular bucket. You just get more points for being more efficient and effective. Harper is starting to get a feel for when to be patient and when to put his foot on the gas.

“He’s had more games now where he’s knowing time, score, pace, when to be aggressive, when to pass,” Spurs veteran Harrison Barnes told The Athletic. “It’s just the maturation process and he’s been really good.”

It wasn’t just Harper who showed poise in crunch time. Queen attacked early, making his move with 30 seconds left because he wanted to maintain the 2-for-1 advantage, which was why he was able to get the game’s penultimate shot when he missed a wide open 3 to win it. That knowledge of time and score tends to be a weak point for rookies, but situational awareness and feel are two of Queen and Harper’s best strengths.

“It’s a really strong class from top to bottom. It has tremendous depth and guys who are stepping into the moment — making the most of their opportunities,” Pelicans coach James Borrego said. “These (players) don’t look like rookies to me. These are guys having major impact in clutch moments. We just saw two of them. Queen and Harper made really good plays down the stretch.

“The stock of talent is extremely high right now.”