ESPN projects NBA landing spot for Maryland star center Derik Queen
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Former Maryland star center Derik Queen is in Chicago to take part in the annual NBA Draft Combine. The combine takes place from May 11-18 at the Wintrust Arena and Marriot Marquis in the Windy City. For folks who are looking to tune in an watch on TV, you can catch the action on May 14 at 2 pm ET on ESPN2, ESPN+, and Disney+.
For Maryland fans, the obvious draw is to track how Queen is performing throughout the event. On Monday, Queen's official measurements were revealed, indicating that he grew and inch and lost some weight from his previous testing back in 2023.
Maryland’s Derik Queen’s official measurements from the NBA Draft Combine:
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 12, 2025
6’9 ¼ barefoot, 247.8 lbs with a 7’0 ½" wingspan and 9’1 ½" standing reach
Queen added an inch and dropped a few pounds from his last batch of measurements in 2023. pic.twitter.com/UIOQp4vJTA
Following the 2025 NBA Draft lottery on Monday, ESPN released it's latest projection of where some of the top stars in College Basketball are headed. When it comes to Queen, ESPN has him headed out west to the Portland Trail Blazers with the No. 11 pick.
Here's what ESPN had to say about Queen at No. 11:
11. Portland Trail Blazers
Scouting report: Queen is perhaps the most skilled big man in this class. He is a terrific target in pick-and-roll, can create his own shot facing the basket with a wide array of moves, and has intriguing passing ability.
Queen's conditioning, occasional apathy defensively and lack of shooting range are things NBA teams picking in this area (or earlier) will want to get a better handle on in the predraft process. Interviews, workouts and more research will determine whether he gets picked higher or lower, as there is no real consensus among scouts for how to view his unique profile long term. -- Givony
NBA intel and fit: Portland's rebuild is ahead of schedule, with the Blazers going 23-18 over their final 41 games as Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan showed significant promise, providing a strong core to build around. All that unexpected winning diminished the Blazers' lottery chances and has them staring at a third tier of prospects with plenty of talent but also obvious flaws.
Queen's lack of shooting might not be an ideal fit on paper for a Portland team that already struggled from the perimeter, but his talent might be too big to pass on, especially if Clingan can make a jump with his shooting like he showed flashes of in small doses as a rookie. -- Givony
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Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. In January of 2025, he took over as Publisher for Maryland On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.
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