Dream Fit: 76ers, Timberwolves, Hawks

Overall Grade: 69.1

Projected Position: C/PF

Strenghts:

• Upside as a stretch big with a good 3pt motion

• Calculated with his strides to gain ground on defensive movements with quicker players

• Good timing on block extension with good ball tracking on both blocks & strips

• Coordinated & calculated with his strides on drives, little wasted movement

• Good positioning to recieve the ball on pops off screens

• Good rebound secures - timing & strength

• Good leverage with his body

• Great hand & arm usage to gain positioning

• Good arm swings on drives

• Effective turnaround jumpers & spot up midrange game

• Great ball pressure without fouling

• Elite handle for a big

• Good blend of physicality & finesse to make space on drives

• Nice spin move

• Good rim touch

• Good lateral mobility with guards from the perimeter if he intially commits to defending the drive

• Solid vision & good pass accuracy

• Good closeouts & breakdowns

• Generally good upright contests

• Great foul drawing ability

• Strong screens

Weaknesses:

• Poor ball security due to his lack of speed & awareness of help on drives

• Poor help & non help decisions in the paint, poor diagnostics

• Not a great rim protector

• Physicality will get called for more fouls at the next level

• Doesn't have the recovery speed to take some of the gambles he takes on passing lanes or play physical with guards on the perimeter

• Low 3pt%

Scouting Report: Derik Queen

Position: Power Forward / Center
Height/Weight: 6'10", 245 lbs
School: Maryland Terrapins (Freshman, Class of 2025)
Draft Projection: Early-to-mid first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft

Overview:
Derik Queen is a highly skilled big man with a unique blend of size, finesse, and basketball IQ. A standout freshman at Maryland, Queen has been a key contributor to his team's success, showcasing his ability to dominate in the post and stretch the floor. His polished offensive game and defensive potential make him an intriguing prospect for the NBA.

Strengths:

• Post Scoring: Queen is highly effective in the low post, using his footwork and touch to score efficiently around the rim.

• Finishing Ability: He converts 67.9% of his shots at the rim, demonstrating his efficiency and strength in the paint.

• Rebounding: Queen is a strong rebounder on both ends of the floor, using his size and positioning to secure boards.

• Basketball IQ: His understanding of the game allows him to make smart decisions, whether it's passing out of double teams or finding open teammates.

• Versatility: Queen has shown flashes of a mid-range jumper and even hit a few three-pointers, hinting at his potential to stretch the floor.

Areas for Improvement:

• Three-Point Shooting: While he has shown the ability to hit from deep, improving his consistency will make him a more versatile offensive threat.

• Defensive Mobility: Enhancing his lateral quickness will help him guard quicker players and improve his pick-and-roll defense.

• Strength and Conditioning: Adding muscle to his frame will help him handle the physicality of the NBA.

Player Comparisons:

• Domantas Sabonis (for his post scoring and playmaking ability)

• Al Jefferson (for his polished low-post game)

Summary:
Derik Queen is a skilled and versatile big man with the potential to excel at the professional level. His combination of size, skill, and basketball IQ makes him a valuable prospect for the 2025 NBA Draft. With continued development, he could become a key contributor in the NBA.

DERIK QUEEN

Warning I am gonna bring up a lot of CMB stuff, I would read that first, it simply feels like a part 1 to this

Position/Archetype: High Post Combo Big

College: Maryland

Pros:

• Fluidity and Handle: One of the more impressive things about queen is the general bend and fluidity of his movements, he isn't a tall center but quite a big one and moves very well for the size with quick spins and a neat handle with some moves to go to. Has a lot more polishing but there's a lot of potential. Footwork is generally great for a center but I have some issues I will bring up.

• Scoring touch: A 62% shooter at the rim, does he have the touch of CMB? no I think CMB does better in tight spaces and contests but I think that also says something to the separation we see from Queen to CMB In the post but also with his height and reach to get over people keeping the ball high in contact.

• Post Play: Now I may have a problem with his footwork when dribbling but his post up footwork is very very good, I mean he does the spins and pivots and creates nice separation like he does with his handle but its a deeper bag where he has a fadeaway he can use his pump fake, he’s generally more efficient as as scorer and reduces turnovers by quite a lot. He can pass out the post yet I don’t think it’s his best skill playmaking.

• Playmaking: Ok so someone who is very able to hit cutters at the basket and pass well in transition and make quick reads, he has issues over committing to a pass and sometime lacking care but what I like more about Queens passing ability to CMB is he is the more versatile passer to me.

• Mid Range Potential: Great Free throw percentage and a good volume in the mid range while percentages are pretty lacklustre, now there is a good percentage in the long mid range shooting 14/30 and just under 50% from all Long mid range areas and then from the top of the key where he operates the most and has the highest volume he shoots 10/19. Closer than that we see a steep drop off from the mid range but he is very fluid and quick with his pull up mid range, he has a lot more moves and obviously a lot more volume and film compared to a CMB as a Mid range Shooter.

• Rebounding: 9 rebounds a game and a 96th percentile offensive rebounder. Great college numbers, I doubt he’s the dominant rebounder in the NBA as he was in college but a key thing is to remember he was a top rebounder this year and suggests he can be an effective rebounder in the NBA positionally.

Cons:

• Offensive Foul and Violation Turnovers: So I always have questions when someone so praised for his playmaking has a 1 or lower Ast/To thats the case for CMB and Queen. The large difference to me is especially end of the year Queen really cut the passing turnovers and it felt that the guy only really travels or hooks or charges. So I feel like it's less of a passing issue more of a footwork and driving decisions.

• 3PT Spacing: Can’t shoot right now and usually with this background of shooting I say no to if I believe there’s something that can be developed. 20% on 1 attempts is really and but a key thing to remember is the high percentage top of the key makes and generally taking a step or two back from that area Is the three point line so there’s something to work with that I’m not sure ever becomes reliable or much of anything. Not gonna dismiss it though.

• Motor Inconsistencies and Athleticism: One of the hardest things to get behind with Queen is the lack of motor in general, he is someone who has a boat load of potential and maybe 70% of the time thats visible but the other 30% you see a slow guy walking around not focused, doesn’t know where his man is and getting lost in actions the other team run. Now he generally isn’t super fast and maybe it makes it look worse but it does feel like he loses focus quite a lot. And in general he is just a horror athlete, I mean we all saw the combine results and he had one of the worse athletic aggregate scores your gonna see from a consensus lottery pick.

• Defence: Its not all bad I mean most of the problems come with the motor and the athleticism thats the key so it links in with the last point but to keep it sweet there’s little defensive impact for this guy, he has tools to be fine interior wise and a good switchable big on the perimeter for his position but due to the motor and lack of general defensive awareness it makes it look a lot worse and makes me feel worse about what’s there.

• General Fit: Ok so I do feel like you limit yourself with Queen similarly to CMB but in contrast Queen has the positional size to run the 5 or the 4 and can compliment the growing archetype of longer spacing 5s such as an Alex Sarr or Chet Holmgren. I think its just a little more reasonable ad I think archetypically he’s a little more valuable but I just don’t see how he can be a main piece with compliments around him rather I see him being the compliment piece playing a role like a Boris Diaw did for those spurs teams or how Jaylin Williams may do in the modern era.

NBA Pro Comp: Older Boris Diaw, Jaylin Williams technical similarities

Projection: This is the type of player that can really crash out in this league, there isn't much middle ground with him and a lack of safety for his outcomes. usually your either high or low on him. I just don't see the ceiling others do so I see an interesting combo big who can play rotational minutes but not someone who can develop into a superstar or consistent starter due to a hard fitting style and a lot of development needed.

CHEESE FINAL BOARD RANKING: (coming soon)

https://youtu.be/yegU3DqxtPs?si=ygN4wBrlde_2GE3P

Draft Range: 8-14

Projected NBA rookie role: Half Court Offensive Threat

Projected NBA position: Forward

Projected Rookie Statline (Pts, Reb, Ast, Blk/Stl):

Strengths:

Weakness:

Shades of/comp: Jamychal Green,

Best outcome:

mid outcome:

worst outcome:

Queen is a talented center in this year's NBA Draft, and he is a true high risk, high reward prospect. His best quality is his tremendous passing. Queen could evolve into a playmaking monster at the elbows and low post due to his knack for making flashy passes and being able to make the simple connections as well. He's got a tight, guard-like handle that opens up opportunities for him to create shots. Queen has a feathery touch around the rim, being able to capitalize on floaters and hook shots with precision. He's a talented rebounder who uses his long arms to snatch boards from the glass. He's currently a non-shooter, but there is potential for him to become a floor-stretcher. He lacks explosive athleticism, which could hurt him as a rim protector. His biggest concern is his lack of shot blocking. He doesn't have the bounce to get up and get blocks, and sometimes he doesn't even elevate. He also needs to give more effort on a day-to-day basis. Overall, Queen is a guy that has bounced up and down draft boards, but if he gets in shape and shoots better, he can be an All-Star at the NBA level.

NBA Comps: Damontas Sabonis, DeMarcus Cousins, JaMychal Green

Comp: Alperen Sengun/Zach Randolph

• good positional playmaker; great inside-out prospect from the post/drive and solid fast break feel

• off-ball IQ could improve; slightly flawed spacing concept and can be slow to find openings as a cutter

• good post scorer. not very athletic but is strong and has good touch and often keeps body control; loves to utilize his constant strength advantage

• sloppy screen setter and doesn’t know how to spin on the roll (causes slow rolls and/or illegal screen calls); also not a lob threat and prefers to catch rolls down low

• not much of an outside threat at all

• solid rebounder with good timing; could work on boxing out and jumping technique

• poor positional defender with a pretty poor motor and slow feet; going to be hard to implement into nba defensive schemes as he projects to be huntable on that end

• undersized for a center at 6’10”

• lack of both spacing and rim protection at the 5/4 is an issue

• doesn’t seem particularly portable and has a lot of issues that will need to be made up for by another frontcourt parter barring significant improvement in those areas