Maryland has had a very good year as they have 20 wins and six losses on the season. They are currently ranked 20th in the country and are led by freshman star Derik Queen. The 6-foot-10 center is coming off an incredible senior year for Montverde Academy as they went undefeated and won the National Championship with his team.

Queen doesn’t win with athleticism, given he’s just an average athlete by NBA standards. He wins with his finesse and elite skill level. The skilled big man is a great scorer out of the low post, he has great touch, the footwork is advanced and he can even put the ball on the floor. Queen is currently averaging roughly 16 points per game on 54.9% shooting from the floor.

He hasn’t been able to make shots from behind the arc as he’s shooting 2-for-22 from three. There is some optimism that he can develop a 3-point shot due to his great touch. He’s shooting 76% from the free-throw line while also possessing great touch inside the painted area so it’s not out of the conversation that he could potentially develop a consistent outside jumper.

Outside of being a very good scoring big, he can also pass it quite well. His vision is advanced and he plays with very good poise for a freshman center. His ability to be a major cog in any offense will be very beneficial for him when he takes the step to being a professional basketball player. 

There are some valid questions about some defensive limitations, but he has shown the ability to be an adequate defender on that end of the floor. It will be interesting to see how Queen shoots the ball in NBA pre-draft workouts and in the NBA Draft Combine because if he shoots it very well then we could see his name rise up draft boards even more.

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