NBA Draft: Derik Queen continuing to show top-10 upside

Maryland center Derik Queen, a freshman who played alongside Cooper Flagg, Liam McNeeley, Asa Newell, and others at Montverde Academy in his last year of prep hoops, has demonstrated his basketball pedigree for the Terrapins as a first-year player that contributes on both ends of the floor. An advanced offensive talent that is more than just a play-finishing center, Queen is capable of passing out of the post and being a bit of a hub in the paint, as well as being able to play make connectively in other situations.

He's a great short-roll passer, demonstrating the ability to find open shooters on the perimeter when playing as the roll man in PNR sets. His overall vision is one of the more intriguing things about his game outside of the obvious physicality, interior scoring prowess, and athleticism. He has been viewed by most as a borderline top-10 pick, but some have him a bit higher, around the eighth-overall range. Regardless of where he ends up, he could require a bit of polish, but the upside is obvious.

This most recent stretch of games has been one of Queen's most productive – he's recorded double-doubles in four of his last five games, including a 29-point, 15-rebound, five-assist outburst against Dylan Harper's and Ace Bailey's Rutgers Scarlet Knights, where the young big stole the show from the two top-five locks. He also had 24 points and 11 boards against Nebraska, 18 points and 13 rebounds versus Iowa, and 12 points and 12 boards against Wisconsin. His elite footwork has aided his interior scoring as well as his top-notch rebounding, and he can provide both of these skills to whichever NBA team decides to draft him.

Queen would make sense going to a lot of teams in the 8-to-14 range of the 2025 NBA Draft. Some teams that would make sense would be the San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks, and Chicago Bulls. He is a center that would bring some excitement to a place like Chicago or Atlanta, as Queen has put on a show for Terrapins fans across the season so far and would draw interest more so than a typical mid-to-late lottery pick would. Hopefully, he lands in a spot where he's able to take advantage of his play making chops.

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