Maryland center Derik Queen has been one of the best and most productive center prospects this draft cycle. Alongside players like Khaman Maluach and Johni Broome, the 6-foot-10 center sits at the forefront of a strong center class. He has a great chance of going into the lottery with the talent and skills displayed in his freshman season. Let’s dive into the best fits for Derik Queen among NBA teams currently projected to be in the 2025 NBA Draft lottery.
Best Fits for Derik Queen Among Lottery Teams
Golden State Warriors
In terms of his skill set, the Golden State Warriors fit the best for Queen and what he brings to the table. Queen’s ability to operate as an offensive hub perfectly fits within the system that the Warriors run. Furthermore, he provides the Warriors with a real interior scoring threat at the center position that they don’t have. Draymond Green, Kevon Looney, and Trayce Jackson-Davis aren’t known for their scoring. With Queen as the screener, defenses will have to guard him more closely due to his soft touch and scoring ability. Not only that, but it will give someone like Steph Curry more space to work with in pick-and-roll.
Additionally, Queen’s passing skills allow him to operate in a similar role to Green. Unquestionably, Queen has an excellent feel and vision as a playmaker. Whether it be in post-up or at the top of the key, his passing is useful for hitting cutters or floor-spacers going through off-ball actions. Defensively, Queen doesn’t provide much on that end. However, his sheer talent and feel on the offensive end outshine those concerns for lottery consideration. His skill set would fit the current Warriors and whatever comes next for the organization.
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls will get an excellent piece for the future if they draft Queen. For a team that lacks high-end talent for the future, Queen can be a major piece moving forward. Similar to the Brooklyn Nets, the Bulls really need to add long-term talent to their roster. Queen can join Bulls forward Matas Buzelis and be the start of the future for Chicago. His offensive talent can serve as a hub for their rebuilding teams and it pairs with what Buzelis provides. On the other end, Queen will find a place where he can develop without the expectation of immediate production. Specifically, he can use Chicago as a place where he can improve his jump shot and defensive abilities.
Oklahoma City Thunder (via Philadelphia 76ers)
Despite being the first seed in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder can always use more frontcourt depth. With injuries a constant concern with a guy like Chet Holmgren, Queen coming in as a bench big would be very useful. His ability to serve as an offensive hub fits into the system that the Thunder uses. His offense and passing will be used similarly to someone like Isaiah Hartenstein and how he operates in the Thunder’s offense. For Queen, he will benefit defensively from the perimeter guards of the Thunder. Oklahoma City’s ability to guard the perimeter is so good that they can help cover up Queen’s defensive shortcomings. Overall, Queen can benefit from playing with the Thunder and OKC would benefit from Queen.
