Derik Queen to Heat, Liam McNeeley to Mavs in ESPN's 2025 NBA Mock Draft

Maryland freshman center Derik Queen emerged as one of the best big-man prospects in the 2025 NBA draft, and he's projected to land with a team with a history of great centers.

In their latest mock draft, ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo predicted that Queen would be selected by the Miami Heat with the No. 11 pick, which would make him the newest addition to a long line of talented big men that includes Alonzo Mourning, Shaquille O'Neal, Chris Bosh and, currently, Bam Adebayo.

"The Heat have been open to swinging big on talent, and Queen could benefit from landing in Miami, an organization that could get the most out of him," Woo stated.

Queen helped lead Maryland to a 27-9 record and a run to the NCAA tournament Sweet 16. While his effort was questioned at times, his offensive versatility makes him an intriguing prospect.

"He established himself as the most offensively gifted big in this draft class, giving NBA teams a lot to think about with his ability to handle, pass, and create mismatches, along with his flashes of shooting potential," Woo wrote.

Elsewhere in their mock draft, Givony and Woo projected UConn freshman wing Liam McNeeley to crack the lottery and be taken by the Dallas Mavericks with the 13th pick. McNeeley led UConn with 14.5 points per game and earned Big East Freshman of the Year honors.

"McNeeley will need to answer questions about his streaky shooting season, but his maturity and role versatility could be appealing to a team such as the Mavericks, who are still re-imagining their roster after trading Luka Doncic," Woo stated.

Comparatively, B/R's Jonathan Wasserman predicted in his latest mock draft that Queen would be the No. 5 pick by the Philadelphia 76ers and McNeeley would be the No. 18 pick by the Brooklyn Nets.

The vastly different projections show just how talented the 2025 draft class is. Teams will have much to evaluate to ensure that they land the right players.