What Pacers Expect From Former 76er Trevelin Queen

What will it take for former 76er Trevelin Queen to earn a steady role with the Pacers?

Trevelin Queen’s time with the Philadelphia 76ers was short-lived. After Queen inked a deal with the Sixers through free agency, the 25-year-old guard was expected to battle for a roster spot in training camp and the preseason.

When the Sixers participated in their preseason debut against the Brooklyn Nets, Queen checked in during the fourth quarter. After spending a few minutes on the court, a head injury ended his night prematurely and kept Queen off the court for the second preseason outing of the year.

The Sixers held a public scrimmage before their third preseason matchup. Queen was the only member of the squad to sit out as he wasn’t cleared to play just yet. The following day, Queen was finally cleared for action, but the Sixers waived him before heading out to Cleveland.

“Everything happens for a reason at the end of the day,” said Queen when he returned to Philadelphia for the first time since his release. “I feel like I could’ve been a contributor to Philly. I feel like I had a good training camp. I thought they supported me as a player. Like I said, it’s a tough business, so I just stay ready for any situation.”

Shortly after parting ways with the 76ers, Queen inked a two-way deal with the Indiana Pacers. While he’ll most certainly spend time in the G League with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Queen is in a situation where garnering playing time on the main roster is possible, considering the Pacers are a young team.

“I’m familiar with his game mostly from film,” said Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle. “Personality-wise, he’s got personality, you know, he really does. My sense is that because he’s been to a lot of different places in a relatively short period of time, he’s looking for someplace to call home. We talked a lot about what he needs to do to establish consistency within our system, G League and Pacers. He’s been a delight to be around to this point.”

So, what are the Pacers looking for from Queen? The young guard touched on some of the suggestions Carlisle made to Queen upon signing with the Pacers.

“He told me to just be myself,” said Queen. “He knows I can score the ball at a high level. He just wants me to be myself and play freely, but also within the system. Always be a good teammate, and have integrity. The defensive side, staying solid and don’t gamble as much like I did in the G League, and just be a great offensive player.” 

Queen has yet to make his Pacers debut. After Indiana faced the Washington Wizards, San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons, and the Sixers to begin the season, Queen remained inactive through the first set of games. With the G League beginning training camp, Queen will begin to ramp up with the Mad Ants as he’ll look to dominate at the developmental level once again. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.