Signal Calling: Derik Queen is better than the sum of his parts
The standout freshman big man for Maryland is undeniably talented, but his current skill set is underrated. Now featuring quick hits!
Derik Queen is undoubtedly one of the more talented prospects in the 2025 NBA Draft class. The production speaks for itself, as the 6-foot-10 freshman big man has put together averages of 15.0 points per game, 8.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
Despite this, he’s being touted as a fringe lottery pick. The largest reason for this is several skills and traits in which Queen is objectively below average; however, I believe that he’s better than the sum of his parts. While there’s not a ton that appears elite at first glance, Queen is an elite prospect with an undeniable cohesivity to his game and upside outside of the abundant talent and production he’s already put forth.
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman illustrated the weaknesses many point to in his Jan. 1 mock draft, comparing Queen to Jared Sullinger and Wendell Carter Jr.:
“There will continue to be debate over the legitimacy of his perimeter flashes and how his defense projects at the pro level.”
Jonathan Wasserman, Bleacher Report
These are valid criticisms and ones that would normally cause me to detract greatly from a prospect, but Queen is a special case. Starting with the first portion of the criticism, Wasserman stated in the previous sentence exactly why I’m holding Queen’s stock, noting his soft hands and willingness.
As far as shooting development goes, willingness is half the battle, and super positive in the scouting department as a lackluster, large sample is better than a positive, borderline-non-existent sample.
Raw percentages have a tendency to be misleading. Take someone like Derrick Williams, the 2011 second-overall pick, for example. While this was 14 years ago, well before the 3-point shooting revolution that has continuously led to booms in NBA offense, Williams was commonly remarked for his talent as a shooter, but turned into more of a cautionary tale.
In two years at Arizona, Williams shot just 90 threes, converting on over 50 percent of them, but lacking a sample you want to see. He ended up seeing an uptick in volume in the NBA, for a large number of reasons, but ultimately, his lack of ability to create offense anywhere else led to him relying on what ultimately ended up being a neutral-to-negative portion of his game.
Queen doesn’t attempt as many 3’s as Williams did, even in college, but his confidence on long 2’s is an abundantly positive facet of his game. Even more so is the methodology in which he gets to these shots. Queen is 26-of-96 on combined long-2’s and 3-pointers for an eye-watering 27 percent, but, you wouldn’t know that from the comfortability in which he takes these shots.
This isn’t just “that boy nice” scouting. The point behind showing these clips is not the false portrayal that Queen is a good shooter. He isn’t (yet). However, what separates him from someone like Williams is the micro-skills on full display.
In the nine clips above, he showcases many different shot-prep options, including several dribble size-ups, speeds and heights, and footwork. The percentages simply aren’t misleading with Queen, but these aren’t simply perimeter flashes, they’re a showcase of polished shot-creation instincts and ability.
Queen’s form needs work, that’s objectively true. He has a nearly nonexistent dip on his catch-and-shoot attempts and doesn’t appear to load his wrist to the degree you’d like to see, meaning a lot of the tension lies in the forearm with not a lot of pop off the floor. These issues are less notable on his off-the-dribble attempts, as his dribble naturally brings his shot pocket down. I’m not too concerned with the slump in his back, as energy transfer from the ground up matters far more than the aesthetics (LaMelo Ball is the best example of this).
Queen’s handle and passing blend into this beautifully. He can isolate or post-up and utilize his advanced footwork and shot creation to draw help and get to the right spots to find an open teammate. He leverages his strength incredibly well in both his passing and scoring. While he needs to develop as a scorer, his individual skills, above and below average, blend so naturally with each other to create an already exciting and effective skill set.
A lot of his assists in the half-court come in designed sets, where the attention he draws in the post distracts from off-ball action. However, his ability in the full-court stands out as a passer, being able to grab-and-go, make a play in the passing lanes, and orchestrate a bucket.
He’s also an exceptional quick-decision-maker who can catch and redistribute the ball in a split-second. He’s no baby Jokić, but his deliveries are almost always on-point, regardless of whether it is an entry pass, a dump-off, a hit-ahead in transition, or a skip out of the post. You can see him actively looking for windows between defenders to find cutters and movers.
The passing is the key to the lock behind Queen’s offense, and not only off-sets but elevates the “underwhelming” traits he possesses.
Critiques on his defense are a different story, and while his mobility and change of pace off the dribble is exceptional, he lacks the height, length, or lateral speed necessary to be an elite big defender in the NBA (there are exceptions, but those usually possess outlier athletic traits, an absurd wingspan, or an unforeseen mind).
However, Queen’s made strides to transform his body in his time since playing at Montverde, and there are still strides to be made. He looks way lighter on his feet from a year ago, and his skill only encourages me to continue buying stock.
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Quick Hits!
One of my goals for Prospects & Concepts is to provide my complete thoughts on the draft landscape. I can’t write my complete opinions on the countless prospects deserving of writing, so, these quick hits will be an opportunity to lay out my thoughts on a handful of prospects who are hot names.
Yaxel Lendeborg has been putting up insane numbers over the last couple of weeks. He’s averaging 21.3 points and 10.8 rebounds per game over his last six games and hasn’t had less than five assists or three stocks in that run. In the 15 games prior, he’d only had six total games with five or more assists. He’s just such an impactful all-around player and someone who has continuously improved throughout the season.
John Mobley Jr. is putting it together just in time for Ohio State, which is on a three-game winning streak over three very solid teams. Over those three games, Mobley is averaging 13.3 points and 5.7 assists per game, not even including his 22-point outburst over Indiana in a loss. The shooting hasn’t been where it was to start the season, with only one 40 percent-or-better performance from 3-point range in Big Ten play. It’s an easy criticism to toss aside, though, because Mobley’s indicators, confidence and ability is through the roof.
Boogie Fland’s season is over, which is really saddening for me because he was one of my favorite guards to watch in this class. I’d still take him in the lottery, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him return. He needs to add muscle to contend around the rim, but his slashing, floater, shooting and playmaking make him one of the more complete prospects at his position in the class.
Flory Bidunga has been incredible as of late. Despite a loss in his breakout 19-point, seven-rebound performance against Houston, Kansas has been dominant with him playing his best basketball. He’s a bit undersized, needing to add weight and wishing for a couple more inches in height, but his athleticism and activity are doing about as much heavy lifting to offset that as you could hope for.
Joshua Jefferson is a name that’s been picking up steam as of late, and it’s for good reason. He’s always been a great defender, high-effort rebounder and connective playmaker, but the scoring is better than it has ever been, even without a knockdown jumper. His 30-point performance against UCF shows everything scouts hope he can be at the highest level.
Keyshawn Hall has been putting up ridiculous numbers. He’s been on my radar since he went viral as a big guard at George Mason, but he took time adjusting to UCF early in the season. In the first half of the season, he put up 14.6 points on sub-50 percent true shooting and a negative assist-to-turnover ratio. In the second half, he averaged 21.4 points on 62.5% true shooting while getting his assist-to-turnover ratio in the positive.
Bennett Stirtz has one of the most insane statistical profiles in college basketball. His first NCAA Division I season has him leading the Mountain Valley Conference in minutes per game, points per game, assists per game and steals per game. He’s a taller guard who’s starting to shoot it much better on top of everything else he provides and is at the very least working his way into a Power Four starting spot next season.