Derik Queen has a lot of mixed evaluations. Scouts either love him or hate him as an NBA prospect. How does he fit in Phoenix?
The Phoenix Suns hold the 10th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft tonight in Brooklyn. Fasten your seatbelts, this could be a quick-moving night with plenty of action that takes place before the Mavericks even get on the clock.
It’s no secret that the Suns need to add size, physicality, and toughness to their front line. Read my case for Collin Murray-Boyles here. Now, let’s talk about another realistic possibility.
When I first dove into Derik Queen, I was a hater. The more I’ve watched and thought about his use case in the NBA with the improved spacing, the more I’m coming around to him. Queen is a divisive prospect who has ranked as high as 3(!) on some boards and as low as the late teens in others. His handle and fluidity at that size leave a lot of room for imagination of an offensive ceiling.
The defensive concerns are predicated on the lack of flashy plays, but he can move his feet well and hang with quicker guards on islands. Will he become a defensive anchor? Probably not. But he does have quick hands, can move decent laterally, and open his hips to hang on that end and make plays. He is not your traditional big, and that’s okay.
Derik Queen
Maryland — 20.5 years old
- 6’9.25” — 247.8 lbs. — 7’0.5” wingspan
- Role: Interior Threat, Skilled Scorer
- 2024-25 Stats: 16.5 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.1 SPG, 1.1 BPG — 52.6/76.6/20.0 shooting split
If you are a skeptic, I encourage you to watch this video all the way through and use your imagination about how his game translates. Also, do not be biased in your thinking when seeing a big man that wears number 25 for Maryland…
Queen is one of the top “advantage creators” in this class with his ability to win off the dribble and make reads on the dime. His handle and decisiveness on the offensive end are polished and should only improve as he adds strength and reps. The soft touch and decent free-throw numbers combined with the off-the-dribble jumpers he’s hit leave me thinking he’ll become a passable shooter from deep.
Comparisons: Thad Young, Domantas Sabonis, JaMychal Green, Boris Diaw
Scouting Report
The Ringer’s latest mock draft has Queen going 8th to the Brooklyn Nets. Here’s what J. Kyle Mann had to say about Queen.
The Ringer: Queen is one of the tougher calls in this draft class—a true glass-half-full-or-empty player. He’s an older freshman, having turned 20 years old in December, but he’s also a balletic behemoth, with uncommon nimbleness in open space and surprising balance and body control when he’s driving to the rim.
Queen’s hands and touch are among his best physical qualities. He has a real knack for extracting rebounds out of the chaos around the basket, even if he manages to get only a fingertip on the ball. He’s just as clever and accurate with those mitts on defense and can create deflections or strip a driver without fouling. That said, he’s not exactly a deterrent around the rim; he’s mostly ground bound on defense and will have stretches when you’re left wondering, “Why didn’t he even attempt to go for that?” But a moment later, he can surprise with his ability to move with smaller players in ways that a lot of bigs cannot. So while he’s rarely, if ever, making the emphatic block over the top, he’s capable of snuffing out attempts at ground level before they happen.
ESPN mocked Derik Queen to the Thunder with the 15th pick in their latest mock draft.
Here’s the snippet on Queen:
Queen continues to receive mixed feedback on the workout circuit, with questions still hovering over his conditioning, shooting mechanics and competitive on-off switch, although some teams say he has been very impressive in 3-on-3 competitive action. Although he is regarded as the most skilled big in the class offensively, he doesn’t appear to be maximizing some of the factors within his control and, as a result, hasn’t gathered much upward momentum during the predraft process.
Following the Suns’ acquisition of the 10th pick, Queen’s realistic range appears to start with the Suns at No. 10 and runs into the teens, where at a certain point he becomes difficult to pass on.
Fit In Phoenix
May I interest you in a scoring machine with size? Along with that size, he has a great handle and the ability to “grab and go,” and lead breaks and make plays for others. He would also help alleviate the recurring rebounding issues the Suns have faced in recent years, FOR ETERNITY.
I could envision him working well next to the young group of guys, playing alongside Oso despite spacing concerns, and the rest of their games complement each other quite well. If the Suns go this route, their scoring attack becomes a bit more balanced and not as reliant on the duo of Booker and Green.
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Final Thoughts
Is Queen my first choice? No. But I think he should absolutely be in the discussion as a legitimate option given his combination of size and skill. The offensive potential is through the roof if he puts it all together.
I understand he may not be a perfect fit in terms of the things he “doesn’t do”, but with the 10th pick, he’s a swing that is worth taking.
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