Pelicans Summer League Preview: Derik Queen, Jeremiah Fears & the Sleepers You NEED to Watch!

Pelicans Summer League Preview: Derik Queen, Jeremiah Fears & the Sleepers You NEED to Watch!

So, with the New Orleans Pelicans making their summer league debut Thursday, yes, there’s Thursday coming up and the team officially dropping the roster yesterday. Oh, you already know we got to do a deep dive and break down of this roster and what you should expect to see come this summer league. So, what you going to do right now is kill my music. This is the Pelican Scoop with Jordan Kitchens, breaking down everything under the sun about your New Orleans Pelicans. Smash that like button, leave a comment, and subscribe to stay on top of your Pel’s content. Now, Running Point, here’s Jordan. Uh, what is good, YouTube? Welcome back to another edition of the Pelican Scoop. I am your host with the most Jordan Kitchens. And ladies and gentlemen, I’m back from the Fourth of July vacay. Hopefully you guys had a good time. Hopefully you guys ate some burgers. Hopefully you guys put down some gizzies. Pause if needed. Hopefully you guys had a good old time with the family. Now, let’s get down to the matter of business. The New Orleans Pelicans, it’s summer league time, man. You know, you know it’s summer time where you step outside, you can, you know, you can smell the the the crazy scattered thunderstorms that just be popping up around South Louisiana, maybe other, you know, Gulf Coast regions, too. But especially down here in the south, bro, you can come outside, you can smell the smell the rain in the air, smell the freshly cut grass. You know, you might probably might be able to smell a little bit of dog dookie you might have stepped in. And look, usually that means football season, but we not talking football season, baby. We talking about some basketball, some New Orleans Pelicans basketball. And honestly, he’s giving us a little giving us something to be excited about. It’s giving us something to be very excited about. So, we’re going to break down what you should be very excited about to see. But, let’s talk about this. So, over the weekend, the Pelicans uh waved Antonio Reeves, Kentucky guard. You know, I was very high on Antonio Reeves over the season. I’m like, man, Willie, you got to play this kid. You got to play this kid. You know, he’s better than Jordan Hawkins. You know, you’re letting Hawkins out there. And you give Reeves the same amount of minutes, he give you way more passing. Uh, not even just shooting, he’s shooting better than Hawkins and um, the Pelicans let him go over the weekend, but he’s back on the summer league roster. So, we’re going to break all that down. I was going to do a video about it, but I felt like I was crashing out a little too hard about a second round pick. I was like, man, what I’m like, what what what are we doing, Joe? Like, I like every move and you let go of Reefs. Like, you didn’t let him see what he can do. But, he’s able to still play on the summer league roster. So, hopefully they can, you know, he can find his way back on the roster because I do think he’s better than a lot of options. You know, you already you already don’t have Brandon Boston Jr., but again, it’s a numbers game. He’s a second round pick, so he’s getting grouped up in in the numbers, getting crunched thing. But I think Jordan Hawkins, uh, you better be looking around your shoulder, bro, because this guy can play. It’s a lot of guys that, you know, that are up for spots. So, let’s break this down the roster right now. So, I guess, as you can see from the screenshot on the screen, you’re going to be seeing just like the the official graphic they posted. I’m looking at the roster with the names, the the heights and weights and all that cuz I want to see, you know, who’s a guard, who’s a forward, uh what his guy measurements, what he’s looking like, whatever, you know, how old he is, you know, where where he went from. So, so, um, starting on my perspective, you have number 23, Trey Alexander. This is the guy they brought in who played with the Nuggets last year. He went to Kraton. Um, a 6’4, 185 pound guard. They brought him in and the second you seen them bring him in, you let go of Antonio Reeves. So, you got to like he must be one of Joe’s guys. They signed him and Hunter Dickinson. They gave those guys two-way contracts. I don’t know what they see in Hunter Dickinson, the guy from who was in a million years in college from Kansas and um Michigan, but whatever about him. At number 32, you have uh Tylen Anderson. He’s a 66 185 pound forward. Uh Will Baker, number 50 from LSU. He’s a center, 611, 240. Uh LSU, he can he can shoot. He’s going very challenged defensively. I don’t What’s going on with these we got a lot of white big men. I see we got him and Hunter Dickinson. So interesting to see the the big man dynamic. Uh let’s keep going. So, Keon Brooks, number 11, familiar face. Played a lot of good minutes last year down the stretch. Formerly, he was number zero last year, but now he has zero fear. So, you got to get that up, my boy. Got to get that number up. Uh, so Keon Brooks, he’s on the hun the summer league roster. Number four, Hunter Dickinson. You know, like I said, million years in college. We’ll see what he can do. I’m not really too high on him. 72, 265. So, big body frame, but also I could be talking crazy and Hunter Dickinson comes out here and blows my socks off. But they signed him to a two-way deal. So, you should see him either in Birmingham. Um, Jeremiah Fears, number zero. Of course, we really have to talk much about Jeremiah Fierce. We’re going to break him down. Uh, number 55, AJ Hogurt Hogert. Uh, he’s a 6’4, 202B guard from Clemson. Uh, number 20, Chase Hunter, 6’4 guard. Number 21, Eve Mei. So, it’s good to see Eve Mei in summer league. Great. You know, let him get these reps. He’s going to need these reps. We could talk about who I think should still be here, who I think needs the summer league reps, but we’ll get to that. So, like I said, Eve me, number 21, number 14. Uh, Mai Peavey, the guy he just picked up from Georgetown, could be your Herb Jones replacement. I don’t know. I’m not saying Herb will get replaced, but he he has a lot of All right. Well, if push come to shove, we got to get a Herb. We got this guy. You know, plays a lot of good defense, high energy guy. Can shoot a little bit. Can shoot a little bit. So, we’re gonna see how he looks in the summer league. So, we got to see how it looks in the summer league regardless. So, number 22, Derek Queen. Don’t mean not to say much about that. Number 30, Lester Khonis, who was on the team last year. you know, a lot of Birmingham, but he gave a lot of good minutes down the stretch when the season was already lost. So, he came in field and good to see him with the summer league. Number 12, Antonio Reeves, so they cut him. But you don’t have to be on the NBA roster to play in the summer league. So, he’s either auditioning for the Pelicans or he’s auditioning for other other teams in the league. In my perspective, he’s auditioning for the other teams in the league. I want Antonio Reeves to ball. I want Antonio Reeves to do well. So, I’m always going to be rooting for Antonio Reeves. So regardless if it’s here in New Orleans, wherever he does find or wherever he does stick, he has a fan in me because, you know, given the certain circumstances that he’s able to come in and fill in, he played good ball. He played good ball to me and I feel like there’s a lot more room for him to grow. I get it. How old is Antonio Reeves? Uh he’s born in 2000, so he’s my age. You know, we we’re looked down upon. So he’s about he’s about to turn 25 this year. I get it. You know, people whatever. So keep going. At number 42, you have Christian Shamat. uh 66 213 pound forward from MC. So hometown hero. So he’s on that MCN team with Will Wade. So a lot he’s gonna have a lot of fans already know a lot of people that want him to make the roster. Hopefully he does make the roster and it’s from MC like to see a lot of you know hometown guys that get their opportunity to shine. And at number 28 filling out the roster you have Trey Thompson 66 212 lb. Everybody’s about 212 lb 66 you know not really not really many tall guys on the team. There was a lot of lot of, you know, forwards. A lot of a lot of forwards other than like your Will Bakers and your Mees and uh Hunter Dickson and Queen. Everybody else is pretty much 66. About 66. Shortest guy on the roster is um 6’3. So yeah, the shortest guy on the Summit League roster is 6’3. So kids out there, if you’re going to be under 6’3 and you want to go to the NBA, you better be able to shoot the ball like Steph Curry. You better be able to play some defense. You better find some type of way, bro. Cuz they are phasing out the small guards. small guards are getting phased out the game. Your Chris Pauls, you know, small guards are getting phased out the games. Yes, you have your, you know, TJ McConnell’s and all this, but you know, your Chris Pauls, your Steve Nashes, I feel like those days are done. You need to be like some type of hybrid 66 between 63 and 66. That’s where you need to be. That’s where you need to be cuz I’m just looking at the summer league roster. If you they don’t have a single guy under 63, that one single guy. And it’s the summer league. Let’s not even talk about the active roster. So yeah, you going to have your anomalies, you know, your Fred Van Fleet still running, but it’s rare and rarer you see them small Chris Paul ass guards that, you know, thrive in this league there. Now you’re looking for about these 65 wing combo guards, Shay Gila, Alexander, Luca Donic, these big old guards like that. Yeah, it’s a big guard league. It’s a big guard league. So, let’s break down who I think should be on this roster. Uh, it’s interesting to see Carlos not on the summer league. I’m assum going to be on the active roster. I don’t I’m not assuming like they’re cutting them or anything, but I would like to see him get some summer league. Why not get some more extra reps? I get it. You got a lot of bodies you want to see, you know, between Hunter Dickinson, you know, you got Queen out there, you got uh Will Baker. So, it’s going to be a crowded front court, but I would like to see Carlo Le get a little bit of run. Just a little bit. Just a little bit. I’m not saying he’s um make or break where it’s like, oh man, is Carlo gonna make the team, but I think he would I would have liked to see him out there. And another one that I think is very interesting, I think Jordan Hawkins should have been playing summer league. Now, people going to be like, oh bro, he’s three years. He’s third year player. I I’m not one of those people. I feel like you need to play until you prove yourself. I think you need to play until you prove yourself. I don’t think Jordan Hawkins has showed enough to where it’s like, yeah, this guy, he doesn’t need to play some elite. You know, there’s not, you know, there’s no questions around him because of anybody who I think might have like the hottest seat in the team right now. I think Jod Hawkins because we saw Brandon Boston Jr. come in last year. We saw Antonio Reeds come in last year and were way more productive than you. Not only way more productive, they gave a little bit more. Cuz when your shot’s not falling, what the else do you have to offer? Yeah, people be like, “Oh, he can re but he’s still a 63 guard.” Like, cool, he can get you three rebounds. Okay, if your your main objective is to be able to shoot the ball, spread the floor, shoot the ball, take the pressure off Trey and Zion, be able to All right, kick it out the Hawk, he going to be able to hit a three. If you can’t do that, what is your purpose on this roster? Just tell me that. That’s all I want to know. So, I get it. It’s a bad look. Oh, you got your third year player still playing summer league. I get it. you know, people, you know, people don’t want to feel like they they missed on players and all this, but I think he would have benefited from a little bit of summer league run, just a little bit of extra run just get his confidence going into the season because it’s like if you’re not if your shots not falling, they got some guys that going to put in over you, man. They got some guys are going to play, especially Herb’s going to be back healthy. You know, Trey’s going to be back. Uh, fears. So, you have guys are going to have to play, Jose. So, guys are going to have to play. Where do you fit in? Hawkins, where do you fit in? I just feel like he would have benefited with a little bit of run at the summer league, but I completely understand. Y’all get down in the comments, y’all. Let me know. Should Jordan Hawkins been on the summer league team? I think I ain’t saying he got to play the whole summer league, a couple games maybe. Let’s go. If the first game he dropped 30, you’re done. You know that type of ordeal. You show me what you do in that first game, you ball out, cool. You’re done. We call it off. Now, now looking at the roster, this might be a little controversial, but the potential starting five that I see starting day one, well, I think should be the starting five should be you have Eisi at the five. Obviously, that’s not the controversial part. Queen at the four. At the three, you throw in Mai Peavey. At the two, I want Antonio Reeves. I think Antonio Reeves should start at the two. Either you start him or Keon Brooks at the two. And at the one, obviously, you going to start Jeremiah Fierce. But I think Yeah, it’s a little like, Dan, you just cut this man. He’s starting for your summer league team. I think I mean, not Queen. Obviously, I like I want to see what Derrick Queen has to offer for sure. You know, Dererick Queen has been talking a lot of noise. Trust me, I’m going to do a video about it tomorrow. Derek Queen has been talking cash money. So, to give you a little bit of preview about the video tomorrow, man, the way Queen is talking, he’s talking more like, “Oh, why the hell the Pelican?” No, it’s more like, “Yeah, of course they traded up to get me. I’m Derek Queen. Why else would they not trade up?” Like, I’m I’m literally Derek Queen. Like, I’m going out here to Vegas. I got a hit list. It’s a couple guys on knock off this list. Like, he’s talking cash money. And that’s what I love to see. Derek Queen is talking like, “Yo, I’m actually him.” Like, I don’t know. Y’all might not know it or y’all might not, but I’m him. So, it’s not like, “Oh, the Pelicans get No, they gave up to get me. I’m Derek Queen.” That’s how he’s talking. That’s the mentality I love to see. That’s the mentality Joe said he was going to bring into the building. He wanted some dogs. So, bring get your dogs in, man. We don’t want no We don’t want no David Griffin little puppies, you know? My little my little good human. No, no, no. We We want boys going to eat a steak with no knife and fork. Just bite that mug. Just bite that mug, bro. I’m telling you, just bite that mug, man. That’s what he talking about with Derek Queen. So, yeah. Yeah, you want to see what Derrick Queen has to offer. You want to see what what Jeremiah fears. You know, how’s that pick and roll going to look? How’s the shooting splits going to look? You know, you Yeah, you got the name. You got zero fears. That’s cool. But now you got a ball. All right. Now, you got to live up to Yeah, that’s why I’m zero fears. Like, I’m out here. I’m going to go get buckets. Like, ain’t ain’t no fear in me. I’m him. So, I that’s what I want to see. I want to see Jeremiah Fierce, you know, go get to a shot. Get show us that you can shoot efficiently, you know, not just be shot chucking you was doing to Oklahoma. Go hit some threes. Pass. I would like to see him pass. There’s a lot of negativity about him being, you know, his tunnel vision. He’s always trying to hunt his shot and all that. Let’s see. Let’s all see. Let’s see what he can do. Let’s see if Derek Queen can do. Antonio Reeves, the whole world’s watching. This is your opportunity. Do you want to be on the Pelicans or do you want to go play somewhere else? Because you will have the opportunity. Everybody’s going to be watching. So, it’s a lot on his plate. And you know, every year it’s going to be a situation where you have a guy that comes out the woodworks that bought for the summer league like, “Oh yeah, we got to keep this guy, you know, put him on the Birmingham squadron.” You know, it’s always going to be that guy. So, who’s going to be that guy that that emerges? Trey Alexander, you know, they just signed you to a two-way. You better ball. So many guys is like, “Yo, either your NBA career, do you want to flourish or you want to sink?” A lot of NBA careers are lost in the summer league. Then there’s also a lot of NBA careers that get started in the summer league that find a way because they balled out in the summer league. So, it’s going to be interesting to see. So, before we get out of here, let’s break down the Pelicans schedule. They only play four games and obviously if you win, you know, you get to move up into the playoffs or whatnot. So starting on Thursday, they play the Minnesota Timberwolves. So I’m assume that’s like Rob Dillingham and Taran Shannon Jr. I can’t really tell you who they got this year, but I just know Rob Dillingham and Taran Shannon are going to be So you got a good challenge, you know, coming day uh game one July 10th on July 15th, they play the Portland Trailblazers. Uh July 12th, they play the Los Angeles Lakers. Of course they do. And then on July 16th, you play the Oklahoma City Thunder. So you got some you got some challenges. Bronny James. You got to play Bronnie James. or who’s on OKC. They got Nicola Topic Topping or whatever his name is. And Portland, is Scoot Henderson playing? I doubt he will, but you know, Klingan. Um I don’t know who else Portland got. I just know maybe Scoot. I know they got some Asian guys. So, we’ll see what Portland can do. They got a lot a lot a lot of big men. A lot a lot of big men. So, I’m very excited to see what is in store for the summer league. I’m very excited to see what’s the next step. Y’all let me know down in the comments. What are you guys feeling? Who you want to see in the summer league? What do you guys think? Who do you guys think is going to be the the the the dark horse? the guy that emerges from the darkness is like, “Yeah, we got to keep this guy.” So, out of all them names, hey, Trey Alexander, you better be one of those names, my boy. You better be one of those names. They brought you in. You better be the truth. So, let me know who you guys are looking for. Let me know how you’re feeling down in the comments, man. Enjoy your Monday. It’s been your host with the Mo Jordan Kitchen. I’m signing out. Peace.

The New Orleans Pelicans are gearing up for an electric Summer League run — and all eyes are on rookie sensations Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears as they make their highly anticipated debuts! In this video, Jordan Kitchens break down the full Summer League roster, highlight the under-the-radar players who could surprise everyone, and spotlight the must-watch matchups that could shape the Pelicans’ future.
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