Pelicans’ young star Derik Queen just dropped a bomb on X, cracking wise about being “fat and slow” in response to a fan worried about his future. This 21-year-old, the No. 13 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, is apparently still clued into those pre-draft scouting reports that had everyone questioning his athleticism.
Did Everyone Forget Those Pre-Draft Doubts?
It’s an offseason jab, sure, and training camps are still a few weeks out, so maybe he’s not in peak game shape right now. But that “fat and slow” line takes us straight back to those 2025 scouting combine reports. Remember those? Queen finished in the absolute bottom two in every single athletic testing category. Talk about a red flag coming into the league! That was the big concern for everyone eyeing him in the draft, and it seems like it still haunts him, or at least he’s having fun with it now.
From “Fat and Slow” to All-Rookie Second Team
Here’s the kicker though: for a guy supposedly so “fat and slow,” Derik Queen had a seriously legit rookie season. He balled out, putting up 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. And he wasn’t riding the bench; Queen played in 81 appearances for the Pelicans. Those numbers were enough to earn him a spot on the All-Rookie second team, which totally should have quieted those pre-draft whispers. You don’t get that kind of recognition if you can’t hang, right? He put in the work and proved a ton of people wrong on the court.
So, while Queen’s out there joking about his old scouting report, the dude already showed up big time in his first year. With training camps still on the horizon, the real question is how he builds on that impressive rookie campaign. Can he keep defying those early doubts and continue to prove he’s a vital piece for the Pelicans?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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