Derik Queen invited to 2025 NBA Draft, ESPN dishes out player comps for former Maryland basketball star

Ahmed Ghafir
2 days ago
2 min read

With the 2025 NBA Draft nearly two weeks away, former Maryland center Derik Queen is among the invites to the green room where he’ll be joined by at least a pair of former high school teammates in Cooper Flagg and Asa Newell.

Queen is currently joined by Flagg, Newell, Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey, VJ Edgecombe, Tre Johnson, Khaman Maluach, Jeremiah Fears, Kon Knueppel, Kasparas Jakucionis, Egor Demin and Carter Bryant.

Queen looks to become the program's first draft pick since Aaron Wiggins in 2021 despite sliding in mock drafts, falling to as low as 14 to the San Antonio Spurs with the Raptors (9), Rockets (10) and Bulls (12) all frequent picks. ESPN pointed to Toronto as the pick that "fills the biggest need" after tabbing Queen as "the most skilled big man in this draft".

"His shooting will likely need to improve for him to operate effectively alongside Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram, but he brings something to this roster that the Raptors don't currently possess, with upside to grow into if his conditioning improves," Jonathan Givony wrote.

ESPN dished out player comparisons for the expected lottery picks over the weekend with Queen drawing Alperen Sengun as the 'high end' projection and 'Sandro Mamukelashvili' as the low end.

ESPN: Queen brings a lot to the table offensively, with the face-up skills and passing ability to play all over the floor and facilitate good offense. The success of players such as Sengun, who fell into the teens on draft night in 2021 and was viewed as an unorthodox prospect, helps lay the groundwork for Queen's potential. He needs to become a more aggressive rebounder and engaged defender -- two things that would be aided by improving his frame and conditioning. He also needs to develop a more reliable 3-point shot.

There's a place for skilled, offensive-minded bigs in today's NBA, but there's also a level of risk built in when relying on players with subpar physical and defensive skills, something considered in how teams project Queen's value moving forward. If he doesn't maximize his ability and develop into a cornerstone for a team, at worst, his talent and basketball IQ will still help him find a role.

Mamukelashvili, an offensive-minded big who has settled into a deep bench role in the NBA, is an extreme case -- Queen is far more talented -- but that comp is meant to underscore the downside if Queen is unable to stay on the floor defensively. The most likely outcome is in the middle.

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