{"id":120859,"date":"2026-02-03T02:05:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T02:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/120859\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T02:05:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T02:05:14","slug":"how-pelicans-jeremiah-fears-mapped-plans-for-derik-queens-nba-all-star-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/120859\/","title":{"rendered":"How Pelicans\u2019 Jeremiah Fears mapped plans for Derik Queen\u2019s NBA All-Star weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"

How Pelicans\u2019 Jeremiah Fears mapped plans for Derik Queen\u2019s NBA All-Star weekend<\/a> appeared first on ClutchPoints<\/a>. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For a rookie trying to establish himself in the NBA rotation, an All-Star Weekend invite represents both validation and a measuring stick. It\u2019s a process that has broken plenty of lottery picks, so James Borrego helped Jeremiah Fears map<\/a> out the plan right after the NBA Draft. Fortunately for the rebuilding New Orleans Pelicans<\/a>, there was even room for Derik Queen<\/a> in the Rising Stars worthy rollout.<\/p>\n

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Fears was all smiles<\/a> when talking about the payoff recently.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s pretty exciting,\u201d Fears began. \u201cI came in in July and that was one of the goals, that and just help our team, do all we can to kind of put ourselves in a position like this to be (in the NBA Rising Stars game). So it\u2019s super exciting. The feeling and emotion hadn\u2019t really kicked in yet. I\u2019m pretty sure it will once we get out there and step on the court for the first time but super excited for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for his game plan on the court, Fears emphasizes enjoyment over everything else. The Rising Stars format, which pits top rookies and sophomores against each other in a mini-tournament, offers a low-stakes environment to showcase skills. Fears intends to make the most of it, especially with a familiar face on the opposing side.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust going out there and having fun, playing against DQ a little bit, and showing everyone what we\u2019re capable of\u2026continue to enjoy every single second, every single moment, and take all of it in,\u201d explained Fears. \u201cWe know we\u2019ll be there (in the NBA All-Star Game) in a couple of years.\u201d<\/p>\n

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That \u201cDQ\u201d refers to fellow Pelicans rookie Derik Queen<\/a>, who also received an invite. Sharing the experience with a teammate from the same draft class adds a special layer to the weekend for Fears. It\u2019s a testament to their quick integration into the team and the support from veterans.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels really good. Two rookies came in the same class and our teammates believed in us,\u201d noted Fears. \u201cThey did a really good thing in getting us here as well\u2026We\u2019re really excited to get out there and show everyone what we are capable of.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, the duo won\u2019t be teaming up in the game; Queen landed on the opposite squad.<\/p>\n

Pelicans risk friendly fire<\/p>\n

Fears takes it in stride, viewing it as an opportunity to amp up the entertainment value. While they\u2019ll compete fiercely during the event, their bond remains unbreakable.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt is what it is,\u201d Fears shrugged. \u201cWe can\u2019t control it\u2026we are definitely going to go at each other and compete. At the end of the day, once All-Star weekend is over, we\u2019re going to get back on the same page and we\u2019ll be family again. If we\u2019re on opposite teams, we\u2019ve got to go at each other and make it fun. Give the fans something to laugh about and actually be excited about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Interim head coach James Borrego echoes the pride surrounding the rookies\u2019 achievements. Under his guidance, Fears and Queen have thrived.<\/p>\n

\u201cProud of them, they\u2019ve got a great start to bright futures,\u201d Borrego began. \u201cTheir best days are in front of them, but they made the most of their opportunity. They deserve it; they belong there. I\u2019m thrilled for them, and they are going to do great. Congrats to them and their families. That\u2019s a big deal no matter where you are drafted or undrafted. To make that (NBA Rising Stars) game is a major accomplishment.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Fears, All-Star Weekend isn\u2019t just a celebration\u2026it\u2019s a stepping stone. His mapped-out approach blends gratitude, competitiveness, and forward-thinking ambition. And if his confidence holds in a new role, a full All-Star nod might not be far off.<\/p>\n

Related: How Pelicans\u2019 Derik Queen is driven by two NBA All-Star moments<\/a><\/p>\n

Related: Pelicans\u2019 Zion Williamson dunks all over Hornets\u2019 Moussa Diabate in epic poster<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"How Pelicans\u2019 Jeremiah Fears mapped plans for Derik Queen\u2019s NBA All-Star weekend appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":120860,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[7068,34374,20396,21,7939,9,24,63,18342,122,124,123],"class_list":{"0":"post-120859","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-queens","8":"tag-derik-queen","9":"tag-james-borrego","10":"tag-jeremiah-fears","11":"tag-nba","12":"tag-nba-draft","13":"tag-new-york","14":"tag-new-york-city","15":"tag-nyc","16":"tag-pelicans","17":"tag-queens","18":"tag-queens-headlines","19":"tag-queens-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120859"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120859\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/120860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}