Jeremiah Fears Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Stein’s Latest: Mavs, Davis, Bulls, Kuminga, CP3, Pelicans

December 12th, 2025 at 8:32am CST by Luke Adams

Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont has begun gathering information on possible candidates to run the team’s front office on a permanent basis following last month’s ouster of Nico Harrison, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).

However, according to Stein, Dumont is in no rush to complete that search process and is content with the idea of taking a committee approach for the rest of the regular season. While Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi are the team’s co-interim general managers, minority owner Mark Cuban, head coach Jason Kidd, and Dumont himself are also providing input on front office decisions, with Dumont having become “far more involved” since Harrison’s dismissal, per Stein.

One major decision facing that committee prior to this season’s trade deadline is whether or not to trade star big man Anthony Davis. Stein hears from sources that a Davis deal isn’t a foregone conclusion by any means. As Stein explains, the Mavs recognize that last season’s Luka Doncic blockbuster can’t be undone, so the team doesn’t want to just accept the best offer on the table for Davis. Accepting a subpar return for him would risk simply “compounding mistakes already made,” Stein writes.

Here’s more from Stein’s latest NBA round-up:

The Bulls don’t appear to have any real interest in Davis, but they remain a team to watch for Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, Stein says. As Stein notes, Chicago has conveyed some interest in Kuminga in the past, bringing him in past discussions involving Alex Caruso and other players.
The Hornets were among the teams with interest in Chris Paul during the offseason, but the veteran point guard wasn’t interested in playing so far away from his family in Los Angeles. According to Stein, Charlotte is no longer expected to pursue Paul at this time, but CP3 is believed to be more open-minded about destinations further removed from L.A. Paul, who remains under contract with the Clippers for now, will become trade-eligible on Monday.
Rookies Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears are now viewed as the most untouchable players on the Pelicans‘ roster, Stein writes. That designation used to belong to Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones — while New Orleans may be more open to listen on those players now, the team’s asking price for Murphy and Jones is still “extremely” high, according to Stein, who notes that the Pelicans are essentially discouraging inquiries based on the return they’re seeking.

Southwest Notes: Queen, Poole, Rockets, Morant, K. Johnson

December 11th, 2025 at 9:06am CST by Luke Adams

Pelicans head of basketball operations Joe Dumars has heard the criticisms of his decision to trade an unprotected 2026 first-round pick (the most favorable of New Orleans’ and Milwaukee’s selections) in order to move up from No. 23 to No. 13 in the 2025 draft to nab Derik Queen. In fact, Dumars says he “gets it,” telling Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN that “so much of today’s NBA narrative is around (draft) picks.”

However, the Pelicans’ top basketball executive has no regrets about that deal, since it allowed the team to leave the draft with both Jeremiah Fears and Queen, two prospects the front office badly wanted, rather than having to decide between them at No. 7.

“We looked at the lottery this year and said, ‘Wow, it’d be great if we could get both of those guys, and it may cost us,'” Dumars said. “But if you truly believe they can be foundational pieces for your success long term, then we’ll do what we have to do. It simply came down to we have this guard that we really, really love and this young big that we really, really love. Let’s go for it. I know we paid a big price for it, but it’s not like we’re unhappy with what we got. We like what we have as foundational pieces for the long term here.”

As we noted earlier this week, while the 3-22 Pelicans look increasingly likely to convey a high 2026 draft pick to Atlanta as a result of that draft-night trade, Queen’s performance in recent weeks, including a 33-point double-double on Monday, has shown there’s reason to believe the deal can work out for both teams.

“I know it probably weighs on his mind and on (Queen’s) shoulders a lot,” Fears said of the reaction to the trade. “As long as he knows what he can bring to the table and proves it every single time, there’s not really much you can say. He’s going to continue to prove to Joe D, to prove to everybody else that (Dumars) made the right decision.”

We have more from around the Southwest:

Jordan Poole, who has missed the Pelicans‘ past 18 games due to a left quad strain, has a chance to play on Thursday for the first time since November 4. The veteran guard has been upgraded to questionable for New Orleans’ game against Portland, per the team. Poole started four of the club’s first seven contests before going down with that quad injury.
Even though they lost starting point guard Fred VanVleet to an ACL tear before the season, the Rockets aren’t interested in pursuing Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, league sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic. Houston has the NBA’s fourth-best offense this season with Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, and Aaron Holiday running the point.
He has become somewhat overlooked in San Antonio as the Spurs added top-five picks Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper to their roster in recent years, but Keldon Johnson is routinely described by people within the organization as the heart of the team, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Johnson, who had 17 points in the Spurs’ NBA Cup quarterfinal win over the Lakers on Wednesday, has scored double-digit points in 20 of 24 games this season despite coming off the bench in each one of those contests. “He puts his body in harm’s way for the betterment of the team every game,” head coach Mitch Johnson said. “We got a lot of big personalities, and we got a face of the franchise, but that guy’s the heart and soul of the team, and I think you can see it when you watch this team long enough.”

Pelicans Rumors: Zion, Jones, Murphy, Fears, Queen

December 6th, 2025 at 3:14pm CST by Rory Maher

Chris Dodson of ClutchPoints reported on Thursday that Zion Williamson is increasingly unlikely to be in the Pelicans‘ long-term plans, but the team has yet to have any meaningful trade talks regarding the oft-injured star forward, who is currently out with an adductor strain.

Williamson, who is on an unusual maximum-salary contract that features weigh-in checkpoints and guarantees based on games played, likely has minimal trade value due to his extensive injury history.

During Thursday’s live stream for Bleacher Report (YouTube link), NBA insider Jake Fischer said there’s an expectation that New Orleans will entertain offers for the former No. 1 overall pick — and he’s not the only Pelicans player that will apply to.

“You can rest assured that the Pelicans are going to be listening to trade offers for (Williamson),” Fischer said (hat tip to RealGM). “And there are definitely teams that believe, that have told me as recently as today, that New Orleans is now starting to listen and at least show some type of willingness to listen on guys like Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy III as well.

“(Jones and Murphy) are going to have a lot of interest around the league. They’re both on very strong, long-term contracts that are considered relatively team-friendly. Under $30 million in average annual value, which is a big threshold in this current market.

“… But the Pelicans are going to hold a high asking price. And they are going to need multiple first-round picks to move on from either of those guys. That’s my understanding as of now. But right now, it is pretty clear that the Pelicans, with interim head coach James Borrego, are moving in a direction of a team built around Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen, their two lottery picks from this draft.”

Dodson’s ClutchPoints colleague Brett Siegel wrote on Friday that the odds of a deal involving Jones have grown “exponentially” in recent months amid the Pelicans’ disastrous 3-20 start to the season. After signing a contract extension in July, Jones isn’t currently eligible to be traded, but that will restriction will lift on January 14, a few weeks before this season’s deadline.

Fischer is the first reporter we’ve seen state that New Orleans may be open to the possibility of moving Murphy — Dodson suggested the team views the 25-year-old wing as part of the team’s core rather than a trade chip. Murphy is in the first season of a four-year, $112MM rookie scale extension.

In the wake of multiple rumors surrounding the struggling Pelicans, Will Guillory of The Athletic hears from several sources that the team has not had any trade talks involving Murphy, Jones or Williamson (Twitter link). Obviously that stance could change down the line, but it’s worth noting nonetheless.

Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel Named Rookies Of The Month

December 2nd, 2025 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Duke teammates Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel have been named the NBA’s October/November Rookies of the Month for the Western and Eastern Conference, respectively, the league announced today (via Twitter).

According to the league, it’s the first time since the NBA began handing out Rookie of The Month honors by conference in 2001/02 that the Western and Eastern winners were from the same college program.

The No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, Flagg got off to a bit of a slow start for the struggling Mavericks, but had a big November that he wrapped up by scoring a career-high 35 points in a win over the Clippers on Saturday.

In total, the 18-year-old forward averaged 16.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.4 steals in 34.0 minutes per game across 20 outings in October and November. Flagg made just 25.3% of his three-point tries, but posted solid field goal (46.2%) and free throw (80.3%) percentages.

Flagg beat out Grizzlies forward Cedric Coward and Pelicans teammates Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen, who were also nominated in the West, per the NBA (Twitter link).

In the East, Knueppel won the award over fellow nominees VJ Edgecombe of the Sixers and Hornets teammate Ryan Kalkbrenner. The fourth overall pick has immediately emerged as a go-to offensive option in Charlotte after starring alongside Flagg with the Blue Devils in his first and only college season.

In his first 20 games, Knueppel averaged 18.4 points per game on .470/.413/.898 shooting while also contributing 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest.

Flagg is currently the slight betting favorite for this season’s Rookie of the Year award. Both he and Knueppel are considered significant favorites over the rest of the field.

Southwest Notes: Sheppard, Edey, Coward, Pelicans

November 25th, 2025 at 1:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Rockets guard Reed Sheppard made just 2-of-9 shots from the floor in his first start of the season on Monday in Phoenix, but he contributed five assists and three steals in his 27 minutes, and Houston was a +6 when he was on the court. It marked the eighth consecutive game in which the Rockets outscored their opponent during Sheppard’s minutes.

While the 21-year-old still has plenty of room to grow, Sheppard has taken a significant step forward so far this season, with his averages – 13.1 PPG and 3.2 APG on .490/.471/.706 shooting – up across the board. As William Guillory of The Athletic writes, Houston’s odds of competing for a title are only increasing as a result of the second-year guard’s improvement.

“The real thing is the opportunity he’s getting, and he’s taking advantage of it,” head coach Ime Udoka said of Sheppard last week. “You’re going to get more of a rhythm with the more minutes and opportunities you get. We needed him to take that step this year, regardless of Fred (VanVleet) being out. He’s really been great. We want him to continue to be confident.”

Sheppard, who started in place of Kevin Durant on Monday, could have another opportunity to be part of the starting five on Wednesday in Golden State, with Durant out for a second straight game for personal reasons.

Here’s more from out of the Southwest:

After missing the first 13 games of the Grizzlies‘ season as he recovered from offseason ankle surgery, center Zach Edey exited his fifth game back early on Monday due to a head injury. If Edey is forced to miss time, it would be a major blow to Memphis, says Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal, given that the club has a +16.5 net rating in Edey’s minutes and a -8.0 mark when he doesn’t play. “Zach is a huge part of what we do, both offensively and defensively,” teammate Cedric Coward said after Monday’s loss to Denver. “Just his presence alone is so meaningful to the team. You guys understand, when he came back, how much better our team got defensively, on the rebounding end, even the offensive end. His roles are gravitating guys inside, so we’re getting easier shots on the outside. It was a huge loss.”
Coward has been one of the NBA’s most productive rookies this fall and is making the Grizzlies look good for trading up to No. 11 in June to draft him, as a Western Conference scout tells Grant Afseth of RG.org. “He only played six Division I games after the partially torn rotator cuff, and that made him one of the biggest unknowns in the draft,” the scout said of Coward. “A lot of scouts weren’t sure how his game would translate against top talent because he’d spent most of his college career at Willamette and Eastern Washington. But Memphis clearly saw something real. … And now he’s outperforming even the optimistic projections. He looks completely comfortable at this level.”
The Pelicans‘ past two games provided a reminder of Zion Williamson‘s impact. After scoring just 98 points on Saturday as Williamson sat out the second game of a back-to-back, New Orleans poured in 143 points on Monday vs. Chicago with Williamson back on the court. While the star forward led the way with 29 points, Monday’s performance was a team effort, with eight players scoring in double figures, writes Les East of NOLA.com. “You couldn’t ask for a better team win when you look at the stat sheet,” said interim head coach James Borrego, who registered his first win since taking over for Willie Green.
Outside of the Hornets, who drafted four players in the top 34 in June, no team has gotten more minutes from its rookies so far this season than the Pelicans, according to Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com. That trend figures to continue going forward, Eichenhofer posits, since Jeremiah Fears, Derik Queen, and Micah Peavy are all part of the rotation now and should see regular playing time with several New Orleans veterans sidelined due to injuries.

Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Okogie, Kornet, Mavs

November 12th, 2025 at 10:20am CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans‘ first 10 games of the 2025/26 season have gone about as poorly as they could have, according to William Guillory of The Athletic, with star forward Zion Williamson sidelined due to another hamstring injury and Willie Green‘s hold on his head coaching job looking tenuous.

As Guillory writes, even when the 2-8 Pelicans have been relatively healthy, things haven’t gone according to plan — the trio of Williamson, Trey Murphy III, and Herbert Jones has a net rating of -11.3 during their 75 minutes on the court together.

Lottery picks Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen have been two of the only reasons for optimism in New Orleans so far, Guillory continues. Fears has shown off his ball-handling skills and his ability to make things happen in open-court situations while improving as a decision-maker in pick-and-roll scenarios. Queen, meanwhile, has acted at times as the team’s offensive hub and has scored double-digit points in each of his last four games despite playing a relatively modest role (23.5 MPG).

Guillory also singles out offseason trade addition Saddiq Bey as a bright spot for the Pelicans in the early going, observing that the veteran forward has played better in his return from an ACL tear than Jordan Poole has through three weeks. The duo was acquired from Washington in a summer deal that sent out CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk.

Things won’t get any easier for the Pelicans in the near future, per Rod Walker of NOLA.com, who writes that the team is about to begin a five-game home stand against Western Conference opponents that includes matchups with the Lakers, Warriors, Thunder, and Nuggets.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

In an offseason that saw the Rockets acquire players like Kevin Durant, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Clint Capela, minimum-salary free agent addition Josh Okogie flew under the radar. However, he has emerged as a valuable part of the team’s rotation, writes Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). Okogie has started seven of nine games and Houston is 6-1 in those starts. “He has the same DNA as the guys that we brought in initially and (does) some of what Dillon (Brooks) did, and Dorian, Jae’Sean (Tate), those guys,” head coach Ime Udoka said. “His defensive versatility, offensive rebounding, being able to knock down those shots, it’s what we need at that position. Takes the pressure off Amen (Thompson), and so he’s a guy you can kind of plug in with all these different lineups, and adds more to our depth than just versatility on defense.”
After missing seven games due to ankle and shoulder injuries, Spurs center Luke Kornet had a big game in his return on Monday, scoring 16 points on 6-of-6 shooting and grabbing seven rebounds in a win over Chicago. The Kornet/Victor Wembanyama pairing playfully known as “French Vanilla” came up big down the stretch and now has a +23.0 net rating in three games together, as Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required) details. “It’s good to have him back,” Wembanyama said. “There are not a lot of shot-blockers like him in the league. It’s always good to play with Luke.”
Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) considers what’s next in Dallas following the dismissal of general manager Nico Harrison, suggesting that trades involving Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving could take some time to materialize even if the Mavericks are open to moving them. Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required) also examines the challenges facing new co-interim GMs Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi, who take over a team that lacks draft assets and features several underachieving veterans.

Pelicans Notes: H. Jones, Queen, Murphy

November 9th, 2025 at 4:29pm CST by Rory Maher

Former second-round pick Herbert Jones signed a three-year, $68MM extension with the Pelicans over the summer. The 27-year-old forward is now under contract through 2029/30, including a player option for the final season.

In an interview with Grant Afseth of RG.org, Jones says he’s worked to become a more vocal leader for New Orleans, particularly on offense.

“I think most of my growth has come through just being more vocal and telling guys what I see — not necessarily scoring more points, but coming from a defensive-minded guy, telling guys what I see on the offensive end that we might be able to capitalize on,” Jones said. “If the defense is doing something, I can see it and try to give our guys something to beat it.”

Through nine games (30.1 minutes per contest) this season, the 2023/24 All-Defensive member is averaging 10.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals on .449/.450/.667 shooting. Jones tells Afseth he’s very high on the team’s group of rookies, which is headlined by lottery picks Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen.

“Their competitive nature,” Jones said with a smile. “There’s never a day that goes by that we don’t compete. Whenever we do, those guys show up and don’t back down from anything. You gotta love that.”

Here’s more on the Pelicans:

Speaking of Queen, the ex-Maryland big man has put together an impressive string of games lately, as Rod Walker of NOLA.com writes. During Tuesday’s victory over Charlotte — the Pelicans’ first win of the season — Queen notched 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals in the fourth quarter, the first player to record such a stat line in any quarter since the NBA started play-by-play tracking in 1996/97. The 20-year-old also impressed Spurs legend Tim Duncan during Saturday’s loss at San Antonio, Walker adds. During the game, which Duncan attended, the five-time champion sent a text message to Pelicans analyst (and Duncan’s former teammate) Antonio Daniels that read, “I really like that Queen guy.”
After a slow start to the season, Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III had a huge night on Saturday against the Spurs, Walker notes. Murphy, who is in the first season of a four-year, $112MM rookie scale extension, tied a career-high by scoring 41 points (on 15-of-22 shooting) while also contributing nine rebounds and three assists in the defeat. “It was great and we needed it from him,” head coach Willie Green said. “He scored on every level tonight. He got to the free throw line. He got to the paint. He shot the ball well. He rebounded the ball well, something that we’ve been talking about. We can see him starting to implement it.”
In case you missed it, you can find all the latest updates on New Orleans — including Jordan Poole‘s quad injury and Zion Williamson‘s reported trade value (or lack thereof) — on our Pelicans team page.

Southwest Notes: Davis, Morant, W. Green, Edey, Bassey

November 7th, 2025 at 1:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

Anthony Davis‘ early-season injury is bringing back memories of the events that led to last season’s Luka Doncic trade, writes Christian Clark of The Athletic. Like Doncic, Davis reported to training camp weighing more than usual with a plan to work himself back into shape once the season began. The big man weighed in at 268 pounds for the start of camp, about 15 pounds heavier than last season.

Davis was productive in his first four games, although Clark states that some rival scouts and coaches said he didn’t look as mobile as he used to be. He was forced out of an October 29 game with a left calf strain, which is the same injury that hampered Doncic last season and eventually led to his departure. Davis hasn’t played since then and is listed as doubtful for tonight’s NBA Cup contest against Memphis.

The Mavericks were reluctant to make an investment in Doncic because of concerns about his physical condition, and Clark notes that they’ll soon be facing a similar decision with Davis. He’s owed $58.5MM for 2026/27 and has a $62.8MM player option for the following season. He’ll become eligible for a contract extension next summer and can earn up to $218.5MM by picking up his option and extending for three more years. He’s already 32 with a lengthy injury history, so general manager Nico Harrison will have to determine if he’s more deserving of a long-term deal than Doncic was.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Last week’s blowout between Ja Morant and the Grizzlies‘ coaching staff hasn’t affected his relationship with teammate Jaren Jackson Jr., sources tell Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. They remain united in their determination to turn the season around, and general manager Zach Kleiman hasn’t lost confidence in his two stars. Siegel states that there’s no indication that Kleiman has thought about trading Morant, and Morant hasn’t expressed a desire to be dealt. Siegel also hears that Morant received support from several teammates after clashing with coach Tuomas Iisalo over his unorthodox substitution patterns.
An 0-6 start increased speculation about Willie Green’s job security, and the Pelicans‘ front office had “serious internal conversations” about making a change, Siegel adds in the same piece. Controversial decisions may lead to Green’s demise, Siegel states, citing the choice of giving playing time to rookie point guard Jeremiah Fears ahead of Jordan Poole. Sources tell Siegel that the move caused “visible frustration” for Poole and “did not sit right” with some of his teammates. There was also consternation about starting DeAndre Jordan ahead of Yves Missi, who made the All-Rookie team last year, and lead executive Joe Dumars was unhappy early in the season that Derik Queen wasn’t getting enough minutes.
The Grizzlies announced (via Twitter) that they’ve assigned Zach Edey and GG Jackson II to practice with their G League affiliate. Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com notes that Edey has entered the front end of his projected “return-to-play” window following ankle surgery (Twitter link). Wallace adds that Charles Bassey is no longer with the team after his 10-day hardship contract expired on Wednesday.

Pelicans Notes: Williamson, Green, Fears, Jordan

October 28th, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Zion Williamson sat out the Pelicans’ game Monday against Boston due to a left foot bone contusion. Without their star forward, the Celtics blew them out 122-90. Williamson, who practiced on a limited basis on Tuesday and is questionable to play Wednesday at Denver, told Rod Walker of NOLA.com that the injury is minor.

“Right now we’re in a day-to-day thing,” he said. “But nothing major. Nothing that is going to keep me out for a long time. Just day to day.”

Williamson was injured during Friday’s game against the Spurs on a put-back dunk. He stepped on the foot of Victor Wembanyama.

“Landed on someone’s foot and the side of my foot just banged the ground,” Williamson said. “The pain level didn’t really pick up until a day or two days later. I spoke with the team, made the best decision on it. Got it looked at.”

We have more on the Pelicans:

Is head coach Willie Green already on the hot seat after the team’s 0-3 start? Green spoke of the team’s “lack of toughness” after Monday’s debacle, William Guillory of The Athletic writes. “I’m disappointed in how we approached the game. I’m disappointed in the lack of toughness on the floor more than anything. That’s the part that’s difficult,” Green said. “It’s one thing to not win a game. It’s a whole other thing to get kind of punked on your home floor. And I’m a part of that.”
Lottery pick Jeremiah Fears made his first career start in Williamson’s absence, Les East of NOLA.com notes. It didn’t go well. The No. 7 overall pick missed 10 of the 11 shots he attempted and finished with two points, two assists and one steal in 26 minutes.
Veteran big man DeAndre Jordan made his Pelicans debut after signing a one-year deal on Friday. He made an immediate impact, according to Walker, scoring and getting fouled on a dunk just 14 seconds after entering the game. Jordan, 37, finished with seven points and five rebounds in 11 minutes.

Southwest Notes: Harrison, Wembanyama, Fears, Queen, Dumars

October 25th, 2025 at 10:48am CST by Dana Gauruder

The good vibes from the Mavericks‘ draft lottery win in the spring haven’t carried over to the regular season. After consecutive losses to open the year, fans in Dallas are already chanting ‘Fire Nico!’ Those chants, referring to president of basketball operations Nico Harrison, filled American Airlines Center during their 10-point loss to the rebuilding Wizards on Friday, Tim MacMahon of ESPN writes.

“I think they have a right to vent, but there’s a patience [needed],” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “It’s a different team. It’s a new team. We’re just getting to understand each other. We’re going to keep learning each other. “So I would say be patient, but I understand the frustration. We all want to win. We all want to compete at a high level, but it’s a game of expression, and fans have a right to express themselves. But that doesn’t stop us from coming to work tomorrow and getting better and getting ready for Sunday [against Toronto].”

Kidd recently received a multiyear extension but there have not been any discussions about a contract extension for Harrison, according to MacMahon. Harrison has two years remaining on his deal.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Victor Wembanyama came close to a triple-double in the Spurs’ overtime win over New Orleans on Friday with 29 points, 11 rebounds and nine blocks, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News notes. Wembanyama’s big performance came two nights after a 40-point, 15-rebound outburst in the Spurs’ 125-92 season-opening blowout of Dallas. That performance awed this year’s top pick, the Mavs’ Cooper Flagg. “He is incredible. He is a different player,” Flagg said, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN. “You can’t know what it’s like until you’re out there on the court with him. It’s something I’ve never seen before. He was great tonight, but we’ve got to do a better job of trying to just take away some of his looks, and we can’t foul him as much as we did.”
Pelicans first-rounders Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen are already playing meaningful minutes, as Rod Walker of NOLA.com writes. They were on the floor during the final minutes of regulation and most of overtime against the Spurs. Queen played 35 minutes and finished with 15 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Fears played 29 minutes and had 13 points, four rebounds, two steals and an assist. “I saw a lot of poise from both guys at the end of the game, throughout the whole game really,” Pelicans’ coach Willie Green said. “You can tell they want it.”
The Pelicans’ performances this season after major roster renovations will go a long way in determining how Joe Dumars’ tenure as the lead executive plays out, Walker opines. “Before you can get to the playoffs or a certain amount of wins, the first thing you have to get to is, ‘We compete hard every night,’” Dumars said. “If you don’t establish that in your building first, you’re just talking. You’re just giving quotes out at that point. For me, it’s a process of establishing a hard, competitive playing team every night. Then we will get to the wins and losses.”