Image Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Derik Queen 2025 NBA Draft Projection- What Pick Will Be Former Maryland Center?

Where is Derik Queen expected to land in the NBA Draft 2025?

Image Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Derik Queen, the former Maryland freshman center, has emerged as one of the top picks in the 2025 NBA Draft. The 6’10” youngster led his team to the Sweet 16 during the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament 2025. He finished the season averaging 16.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Hailing from Baltimore, Maryland, Queen’s impressive performances against Illinois, Purdue, and Marquette earned him the Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors multiple times.

The 20-year-old was a consensus five-star recruit as well as a top player in the 2024 class. After narrowing his college options to a few popular names, he enrolled at the University of Maryland in 2024. Following his freshman season, Queen was a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches as well as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

Also Read: Derik Queen Physical Attributes- Know all about Derik Queen Height, Weight, Wingspan, And More About Maryland Native

One of his most notable performances came during the 2025 Big Ten Tournament’s semifinal, where he scored 31 points against the Michigan Wolverines.

Possible Pick at 10: Derik Queen

Derik Queen is a pretty interesting prospect due to his offensive versatility and impressive playmaking ability.

Definitely have concerns about his rim protection and athleticism so it might be best to pass on him pic.twitter.com/7BVT8j21tG
— 𝙷𝙱💫 (@HoodiiBook) June 24, 2025

Derik Queen Scouting Report- Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

Queen has great footwork, spin moves and touch, making him a highly skilled post scorer. Moreover, he is highly efficient with back-to-back basketball opportunities.
He averaged nearly 2 assists per game, as well as displays strong efficiency when it comes to dribble handoff actions. He knows how to contribute offensively to a game well.
Queen plays without fouling and provides impressive drop coverage. In addition, he also has a very low foul rate considering he is highly disciplined in vertical contests. He could also develop into a facilitator at the elbows and low post due to his ability to make impressive passes.
The wide frame helps Queen make space on the glass and secure boards seamlessly. He knows how to keep a track of misses and position himself for rebound opportunities.

Weaknesses

Queen likes to post jumpers quite a lot. However, his stats of 28.6% doesn’t label him the best out there. Not only this, but he also has a slow-motion release, and his poor form at the NBA Draft Combine also grabbed a lot of eyeballs.
He is not the most athletic player one would know. His lack of leaping ability from a standstill is likely to affect his ability to protect the rim effectively.
He has been quite inconsistent when it comes to putting in effort. Hence, a team would want to identify the root cause behind the inconsistency and put in work to change it. Moreover, he sometimes doesn’t even try to put his hands up to contest shots at the rim.

Derik Queen Stats and Accomplishments at Maryland

Derik Queen finished the freshman season of collegiate career with a total of 594 points, 323 rebounds and 67 assists. Talking about his average, he posted 16.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists per contest. Queen was shooting 20.0% from the arc, 52.6% from the field and 76.6% from the free-throw line.

Here are some of his accomplishments at Maryland-

Queen led the Terrapins in terms of scoring (average and total) during the 2024-25 season.
He earned a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches.
Queen won the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
He scored 31 points in the 2025 Big Ten Tournament, which is the most points ever scored in the tournament by a Maryland freshman.
On the back of his performance in the Big Ten Tournament, Queen earned the All-Tournament Team selection.
His first ever game-winning shot at any level came during the second round of the NCAA tournament in the 72-71 win over Colorado State.
In addition to all of it, Queen was a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year. This is not it, he was also on the watch list throughout the season for the Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Award.

Derik Queen’s Draft Projection

Queen is projected to be the No. 10 first round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

2025 NBA Draft

Derik Queen

Garima Ranawat

Garima is a sports writer with around two years of experience in Indian sports and a newfound interest in the NBA. Inspired by the leadership of cricketing legend MS Dhoni, she wishes to bring in newer perspectives to the NBA fanatics with her writing.