Derik Queen took the college basketball scene by storm the past season with his bruiting yet silky style of play. Standing at 6-foot-10 and 246 pounds, Queen was no traditional center. The Baltimore native flashed his guard-like dribble package and body movement throughout season, exposing mismatches on opposing bigs.
On the flip-side, he took advantage of smaller defenders and exposed the size difference, getting to the cup at will. Queen proved a matchup nightmare for defenders across the nation, and enters the 2025 NBA Draft as one of the most unique offensive prospects of recent years.
The past season with Maryland, the Terrapin averaged 16.5 points, 9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.1 steals per game. It became clear that he’s a strong centerpiece to an offense, with the scoring and playmaking composition to translate to the next level.
While Queen isn’t the rim protector many teams look for in their starting centers, he’s entering the association at the perfect time – the return of the double-big era. Teams seeing recent success have gone to the double big lineups in crucial situations, with one big possessing the skill to be an offensive hub or scorer, and the other being a rim-protector and runner – see Houston, Cleveland, New York and more.
With the new era set in, which teams are best suited for Derik Queen to land?
Queen landing in Washington could be the dream front-court pairing for the 2024 No. 2 overall pick, Alex Sarr. Both Sarr and Queen have similar passing skillsets to make for a fun dynamic of versatile bigs. Queen’s rebounding, ball skills and rim pressure complement Sarr’s lack in said areas, while Sarr’s rim protection, above-the-rim finishing and potential 3-point shooting provide diversity in the potential front-court duo.
Alongside Jordan Poole and at times Bilal Coulibaly, the Wizards are in desperate need of both self-creation and playmaking. While Queen isn’t enough to be a day-one primary handler or engine, he can certainly help out in the departments as he showcased at Maryland.
Queen fits the mold of a potential new Washington identity – size and skill – that can push the Wizards back into contention relevancy.
A big drop-off from pick No. 6, but Queen’s unique skillset isn’t suited for every team. The Bulls, however, have been in search for their long-term answer at center for the better part of three seasons. As they’ve shopped veteran Nikola Vucevic off-and-on throughout that time period, it’s clear he’s not the solution.
Drafting Queen at pick No. 12 could give Chicago the answer many have been clamoring for, and a real reason to move on from Vucevic. He may not be the defensive anchor the Bulls will eventually need, but that can be acquired through free agency, or in later drafts.
Pairing Queen with a young core of Josh Giddey, Coby White and Matas Buzelis may be a clunky fit, but in this case the talent and positional value is too good to pass up on.
With 31-year-old Clint Capela set for free agency, the Hawks backup center spot is up for grabs. Selecting Queen at No. 13 gives a new archetype to try out with Trae Young, should the hawks decide to keep building around the All-Star point guard. Queen would arguably be the most skilled center Young has played with so far, and brings a new dynamic to the Hawks offense.
He also slides in nicely in multiple potential front-court pairings in Atlanta, both at the four or the five. Minutes with Queen at the five with Jalen Johnson running alongside him could make for an entertaining dynamic of Queen attacking on-ball, drawing doubles and hitting Johnson for easy cuts. Queen could also play the four alongside rim-protectors Onyeka Okongwu and Mouhamed Gueye, becoming the Alperen Sengun to their Steven Adams.
It may not be a traditional Hawks selection, but the Trae Young era is growing stale, and it’s time to go out swinging.
