“I’m extremely proud of them,” said Pelicans interim head coach James Borrego. “They’ve earned it. They belong there. They have been two bright stars in this draft class and we are proud to have them.”
Fears leads all rookies in games played. He’s played in all 56 games for the Pelicans. Queen ranks second among rookies with 55 games played.
Fears’ 13.2 points per game ranks fifth among rookies in scoring. Queen (12.2) ranks seventh. Queen is also second among rookies in both rebounds (7.2) and assists (4.1). Fears recorded his first double-double in Wednesday’s loss and was two assists shy of his first triple-double. Queen, meanwhile, has recorded two triple-doubles.
But if Queen dishes out any assists during the Rising Stars game, they won’t be to Fears. The two are on different squads in the four-team tournament, consisting of first and second-year players as well as one team of G-League players. Fears is playing on the team coached by former NBA great Carmelo Anthony, while Queen’s team is coached by Vince Carter.