Derik Queen, Cooper Flagg's former teammate makes for a tantalizing 2025 NBA draft prospect

Few high school programs pump out talent like Montverde Academy in Florida does. Their former players are thriving to begin their college careers — Cooper Flagg at Duke, Asa Newell at Georgia, Liam McNeeley at UConn and more. The same is true for Maryland's big man Derik Queen, who dominated the beginning of his season.

Queen averages 16.2 points. 7.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game on a strong 63.2% true shooting mark. His recent performance in Maryland’s win over Villanova exemplifies his all-around game and what makes him such an intriguing long-term prospect. Queen tallied 22 points (9/14), 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 turnovers and one block.

Why Derik Queen is among the most skilled bigs of his class

The 6’9 center is one of the most skilled freshman bigs to enter college basketball in quite some time. Often compared to a fledgling Nikola Jokic, Queen’s size, immaculate footwork and craft around the basket impresses. The similarities are eerie on this play, where Queen busts out the Sombor Shuffle with the right leg fadeaway swish:

With ballerina footwork, Queen loves to spin and pirouette around and through defenders. College bigs generally won’t be able to handle Queen’s combination of speed, power and dexterity. He spins and finishes the and-one with his weak left hand:

Nine of Queen’s 14 shots from this Villanova game came at the rim, shooting 7/9 on those attempts. They struggled to answer his presence as an interior scorer. This running hook is another one of those paint buckets, where Queen weaponizes his touch to score from the middle of the floor:

Queen can initiate offense from the perimeter as a driver, adding to his offensive versatility. He can take some questionable, difficult shots, but it makes sense given Queen’s shotmaking talent. Late in the game, Queen drives, muscles through defenders and finishes a difficult shot with his left hand:

Some of Queen’s athletic pop has surprised me to this point, as Queen has been limited with his explosion and twitchiness at points. He’s made substantial improvements to his body and movement across his high school career and seems to be continuing to improve there. Check out this dunk, where Queen attacks off of the catch and rises over a defender for the flush:

Queen’s lack of vertical explosion and height shows up occasionally when he shoots at the rim. Smaller centers tend to struggle in the paint at the NBA level, especially ones without exceptional bounce. Queen has been excellent at the rim this year (36/45, 80%), but this will be something to monitor going forward:

The problems that plague Derik Queen

When defenders pressure Queen’s handle, he can struggle to maintain his path and make good decisions. Queen is an excellent dribbler for his position but is vulnerable to doubles and losing the ball in traffic. On this next play, Queen loses his handle and settles for a difficult fadeaway early in the shot clock, wasting a key offensive possession down the stretch:

In this next clip, Queen drives to his left and loses the ball once again. The corner defender digs down and stips his handle, forcing a loose ball situation. If Queen hopes to command a high level of offensive responsibility at the NBA level, he’ll need to continue improving his handle.

As a shorter center, Queen’s outside shooting could ultimately determine his pro ceiling. If defenders can sag off of him easily, he’ll be less effective on the offensive end. He’s a solid mid-range shooter at this point, capable of hitting these jumpers in space:

But Queen’s shooting numbers haven’t been stellar to open his Maryland season. He’s made 2 of his 10 non-rim 2-pointers and has missed all 8 of his 3-point attempts. On this 3-point miss, Queen didn’t get close to making this shot and airballs:

Derik Queen's passing savvy makes him ready for the 2025 NBA draft

Despite his shooting limitations, Queen’s excellent passing provides another pathway to value as an on-ball player. Queen’s interior scoring threat forces help and rotations, which Queen can punish with passes. His vision and skill are both so advanced for a freshman center.

He’s posted a solid 20% assist rate so far this season, notching his highest assist total of the season against Villanova. Especially deadly from the middle of the floor, Queen threads passes to cutters when defenses fall asleep:

Queen’s spin move attracts three defenders, indicative of his gravity as a scorer at the moment. Mark Armstrong (Villanova #2) digs hard and Tyler Perkins (Villanova #4) falls asleep, letting Queen find his man cutting to the rim from the baseline:

We can see how much space the Villanova defense allows Queen here given his lack of a jumper. Still, Queen is able to drive into that gap and find his big on the inside. He’s an excellent high-low passer:

Though Queen doesn’t have excellent guard play at Maryland, he should thrive as a short-roll playmaker in the NBA. We see it occasionally now, like on this next pass where Queen instantly processes the floor and passes to the cutter right as he catches:

His light, agile feet translate to the defensive end where Queen defends in space at a high level for a center. He switched out onto Kam Jones in the Marquette game and bothered him and succeeded in space against Villanova:

This next clip was especially impressive, as it showcases Queen’s ability to change directions and cover ground. He’s closing out hard to the shooter but is able to stop on a dime and recover to stay with the driver and force a miss:

Given his lack of height and vertical explosion, Queen can struggle as a paint defender. He’ll give up shots on drives and allow some scores in the post where he can’t recover to contest shots into a miss:

Scouts will think hard about Queen’s NBA translation throughout the year. How effective can a 6’9 center without a reliable jumper be at the pro level? But Queen’s skill level as a creator, slasher, and passer is undeniable and will make him a worthy NBA prospect to monitor throughout the cycle.