Derik Queen NBA Draft Profile: College Stats, Scouting Report, and Top Comps

The NBA Draft tips off Wednesday, June 25th. With the NBA Combine behind us, the draft process is in full swing for one of the best classes over the past few cycles. It's certainly a more well-rounded class than what we saw in 2024, especially in regards to the top talents.

Plenty of instant-impact rookies should come from the 2025 draft class. With NBA Draft odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook, FanDuel Research is providing NBA Draft profiles for several notable prospects, providing everything you need to know.

Derik Queen is one of the most polarizing prospects in the draft. In a league now built on spacing and shooting, Queen is a 6'10" center (in college) that's best work came scoring in traffic, but he's not a great shooter or defender. He had one of the best moments of this year's NCAA Tournament but other games where he blended into the background.

Projected somewhere in the lottery, what is Queen's NBA outlook? Where is his best fit?

Derik Queen College Stats and NBA Draft Combine Results

Position: C/PF

College: Maryland

Age: 20.4

Height: 6'10.5"

Weight: 248

Wingspan: 70.5"

Standing Reach: 9'11.5"

Vertical Leap: 28.0"

Standing Vertical Leap: 23.5"

Shuttle Run: 3.27

Games Played: 36

2024-25 Points Per Game: 16.5

2024-25 Rebounds Per Game: 9.0

2024-25 Assists Per Game: 1.9

2024-25 Steals Per Game: 1.1

2024-25 Blocks Per Game: 1.1

2024-25 Field Goal Percentage: 52.6%

2024-25 Three-Point Percentage: 20.0%

Derik Queen Top Comparables

• Thaddeus Young
• Early Paul Millsap
• Karl-Anthony Towns without outside shooting
• Alperen Sengun without the passing vision

Derik Queen Scouting Report

Strengths

• Unusual foot speed and agility for his size
• Ability to finish creatively at the rim through contact
• Excellent hands in traffic as a rebounder
• Shown promise as a passer when looking to do so

Weaknesses

• Defensive liability with no rim-protection upside in the NBA
• Ugly results and developing form with the jumper
• Older despite coming out as a freshman

Derik Queen could go in the top eight, but a slide out of the lottery also isn't out of the question. Perhaps more than any prospect in the draft, his beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder.

You can't teach what Queen has. Scouting the NBA or NFL, I always put down my notepad and just watch a player for a few minutes. It's hard not to see a slightly shorter Karl-Anthony Towns when he's driving to the basket. The athleticism, length, footwork, and finishing ability that the former Terrapins center possesses are eerily familiar. Each game, he's a guarantee for two or three tough buckets at the cup.

His touch translates around the rim with some float game, and his game-winning shot in the tourney against Colorado State was a good example that he can channel some of that from the mid-range.

Honestly, that's why I'm not crazy concerned about Queen's ugly jumper. Catch-and-shoot ability is correctable with work ethic, which is something Aaron Gordon's 2024-25 proved in earnest. Paul Millsap, another comp on my list for Queen, didn't start shooting threes regularly until his seventh season, either.

Queen will always provide some value on the defensive end because his bounce and hands make him a great rebounder on both ends. However, there's no doubt that his frame and lapses in defensive focus and energy are problematic considering he's a slightly older prospect. Towns never has protected the rim at a high level, and that's a concern for a smaller Queen's chances to play the five on a team with any hopes of winning.

Ultimately, that's why my top comp for Queen is Thad Young. He's larger than Young was, but at his best with the Philadelphia 76ers, the power forward used his length and creativity to score inside the arc. Later in his career, he developed a decent outside jumper and always seemed productive in limited minutes. I think Queen will be the superior version, though.

To me, Queen's best fit would be as an athletic four pairing with an existing rim protector that spaces the floor. His size and athleticism could still be useful in on-ball situations against post scorers like Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. That enables his center to help, mirroring how the Minnesota Timberwolves get use of Naz Reid on that end of the floor.

The San Antonio Spurs with Victor Wembanyama, the Milwaukee Bucks with Brook Lopez, or the Oklahoma City Thunder with Chet Holmgren could all fit this description depending on how the lottery shakes out with potential trades coming down the pipe.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.