NBA Teams' Concerns on Derik Queen Reportedly Revealed Ahead of 2025 Draft
Maryland center Derik Queen will be intriguing for teams in need of talent down on the block ahead of the NBA draft on June 25. Whether he'll be a top-10 pick remains to be seen, however.
According to ESPN's Jonathan Givony, "Queen is 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) are trying to get a better handle on in the predraft process, areas that we've heard mixed feedback about based on some of his early workouts."
Givony projected Queen to drop to No. 12 and be selected by the Chicago Bulls.
Queen averaged 16.5 points, nine rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 1.1 steals for Maryland this past season, shooting 52.6 percent from the field but just 20 percent from three. But his limitations might drop him toward the bottom of this year's lottery, with Givony projecting Duke center Khaman Maluach to go No. 8 overall to the Brooklyn Nets.
