The 2025 NBA Draft will be an important event for teams to build for their future. Here is the Derik Queen NBA Draft Profile.
Position: Center
Size: 6-foot-9.25, 247.8 pounds
Class: Freshman
College: Maryland
2024-2025 stats: 16.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals, 1.1 blocks, 52.6% FG, 20.0% 3FG, 76.6% FT
Queen was a five-star recruit in the class of 2025 who signed with Maryland to stay in-state. He produced immediately for the Terrapins, averaging 16.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. His play helped Maryland make the Sweet 16 in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Following the season, Queen declared for the 2025 NBA Draft. He is currently projected to be a lottery pick.
Especially for a big man, Queen does a great job of driving to the basket with solid ball-handling and body control. Queen can be a mismatch for other bigs, as he moves well for his size and can dribble well enough to create space for himself at the basket. He also finishes well at the rim, making him a unique isolation player.
Queen has great rebounding ability, as he averaged 9.0 rebounds per game. He isn’t the most athletic, but uses his size to box out and hold off opponents fighting for the ball. Queen shows good awareness of how the ball will come off the rim and at times shows really good fight for the basketball. He has good rebounding at the offensive end as well, helping him get more put-backs.
While he does turnover the ball, he also has shown flashes of being a good passer at the collegiate level. Queen sees the floor pretty well and doesn’t get tunnel vision towards the basket when he has the ball. He senses when double teams are coming and at times is able to find open teammates out of it.
Queen struggles as a shooter from almost all levels. He has nice touch, but needs to continue working on his shot to be a real threat. At Maryland, he shot 20 percent from deep and also struggled shooting mid-range jumpers. He can be more selective on his shots, but also improve his shooting for the next level.
He could be seen as a tweener for the NBA. Queen is small for an NBA center, but he simply doesn’t shoot enough to space the floor either. He could struggle guarding much bigger NBA centers, especially because he is not the most athletic player. Finding a role that fits will be key for him.
While he has solid body control and skill, his athleticism is lacking. He doesn’t finish above the rim often and isn’t a lob-threat. Queen can struggle staying with more athletic players on the defensive end of the floor as well. Improving his motor will help him, but the athletic disadvantage will make it tougher for him to develop.
Projected Draft Range: Lottery Pick
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