The New Orleans Pelicans ended their forgettable NBA season with another tough loss, but at least their rookies showed up for their final game.
The Pelicans (26-55) faced off against the Minnesota Timberwolves (48-33) on Monday to conclude the 2025–26 NBA season. The Wolves rested all their key players in this game (Anthony Edwards, Naz Reid, Rudy Gobert, and Jaden McDaniels) but still got the dub despite a superb performance from Pelicans’ rookie sensations Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears.
Queen played aggressively against Minnesota and recorded 30 points and grabbed a career-high 22 rebounds for NOLA. Fears also played significantly better than his averages by putting up 36 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. Both players were lottery picks back in the 2025 NBA Draft, and although there were many naysayers about DQ’s and Fears’ ceiling, it’s obvious that these two young guns are already oozing with extreme potential.
Time to Give Up on Zion?
Zion Williamson has clearly been one of the most disappointing players this season. It’s true that the Zion era may be approaching an end with the Pelicans’ downward trend in the past three seasons and with the team’s shift toward their young, talented rookies.
They did have a fantastic 2023–24 season when Zion Williamson played 70 games, yet the once-hyped prospect hasn’t even played in the playoffs due to injuries. Since then, the Pelicans have been unable to reach at least 30 regular-season wins.
For a seven-year injury-prone veteran who has never reached his true potential, it might be high time to give up on the Zion project and focus on building around Queen and Fears. This season, Williamson played 62 games and averaged only 21.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game—both career lows.
