Derik Queen grabs 22 rebounds, a career-high night
A rookie center pulled down 22 boards for the Pelicans, more than three times his season average.
Derik Queen grabbed 22 rebounds on April 12, 2026, a season high. He added 30 points in the same game for the Pelicans.
The number stands out against his season line. Across the 2025-26 season, Queen is averaging 7.1 rebounds and 11.7 points in 25 minutes a night. Twenty-two rebounds is triple his season average on the boards.
For this to hold as a sign of things to come, Queen would need to sustain a much higher rebound rate than he has shown over the season, not just produce one outlier game. His season average of 7.1 rebounds a game reflects 25 minutes of playing time, so a jump in minutes could also help explain more boards going forward. Without more games at this level, the April 12 performance stands as a single high mark rather than a new baseline.
The 30 points scored alongside the 22 rebounds show he was involved at both ends of the floor that night. As the 2025-26 season continues, the next few games will show whether this rebounding output was a one-time spike or the start of a real increase in his production for the Pelicans.