The underdog New Orleans Pelicans enter the 2026-27 season with a new voice on the sideline, a reshuffled frontcourt, and a franchise still searching for its first playoff series victory since 2018. Derik Queen was drafted to help fix all of those problems, but the first order of business has been protecting Jamahl Mosley's process on social media.
Mosley's preseason on-court product has been less than convincing, leading some fans to overreact. Queen shut that down quickly after a road loss to the Miami Heat.
“By Oct 21st all you Pels fans will never remember this day,” posted Queen. “Stay over there! Trust & believe. It’s preseason for a reason.”
If that's not clear enough from the second-year center, fan expectations are not complicated, either. When asked what would constitute a successful season, both personally and collectively, Queen had a straightforward answer.
“Definitely making the playoffs,” Queen told ClutchPoints. “We always had the talent last year; we just had a slack in leadership and injuries, of course. Then not closing out games on defense. So feel like that’s what Coach Mosley brings.”
Queen has been open about what was lacking last year under Willie Green, but now it's all about looking forward to better days.
Derik Queen calling shots
There is something different about this year's approach, particularly when it comes to preparation. Mosley is not simply asking the Pelicans to memorize assignments or communicate better during practice. The new head coach wants his players thinking about defensive rotations from the moment they wake up until their heads hit the pillow.
Article Continues Below“Pretty much (Mosley) just wants us to dream about (the rotations),” Queen said. “He wanted us to, he wanted us to sleep about the rotations. He wanted us to wake up about the rotations. He just wanted us to think, like he wanted us to implement the rotations in our everyday lives. So I think that’s definitely going to help.”
So would a few home-cooking calls from the refs. That's why Mosley has had NBA officials calling training camp runs, and Queen has started asking questions instead of avoiding confrontations.
“I've not been talking to them,” Queen smiled. “It's just trying to learn from them on how to get foul calls, how to not foul people. But it's been fun with us playing under their whistle.”
If Mosley gets his way, the Pelicans will know their rotations so thoroughly that executing them becomes second nature. For Queen, it will likely be the difference between a big developmental leap playing 30+ minutes per game or a second season spent mostly on the bench due to foul trouble.