NBA Draft: Debating Between Khaman Maluach and Derik Queen

There are plenty of impact big men in his upcoming NBA Draft, but the top two stand alone.

Mar 23, 2025; Seattle, WA, USA; Maryland Terrapins center Derik Queen (25) passes the ball against the Colorado State Rams in the first half at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

In the midst of the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery, which happens this evening, teams are preparing to strategize based upon where their picks will land. So much of this year's draft will be a result of lottery odds, as outside of the top two picks, it is a bit of a wash on consensus order for the next crop of prospects.

This year's center class is particularly strong at the top, where a debate has raged about which of the top two big man prospects will be selected first. Ultimately, much of it is related to team fit. The two headliners are Derik Queen of Maryland and Khaman Maluach of Duke, two highly impactful players with vastly different strengths and weaknesses.

The 6-foot-10, 245-pound Queen is much more of a modern big, one that can playmake out of the post, attack the basket from outside of the paint, and finish through contact.

Though he's not necessarily a rim protector in the traditional sense, the skills he brings on the offensive end have drawn comparisons to Minnesota's Naz Reid and Houston's Alperen Sengun. He averaged 16.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 53% from the field.

He also recorded 2.2 stocks per game, lending credence to the theory that he can still be an above-average defender, even if that is not his most obvious talent. He played over 30 minutes per game for the Terps last season.

Maluach, who stands at 7-foot-1, is much more of a traditional big, a rim-runner and paint deterrent that can impact the game on both ends of the floor.

Offensively, he's shown flashes of face-up ability and the occasional outside shot, but mostly he will be used as a play finisher on offense and someone that can crash the offensive glass. He averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game, playing 21.3 minutes.

His stats may not pop as much as Queen's, but it must be taken into account that he was asked to do much less considering Duke's cast of super stars.

Tonight's draft lottery will be a big indicator of where each player will go considering they fit vastly different needs. Either way, both players are obvious top-10 picks, likely going closer to the earlier part of the lottery than the later picks.

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