In his first game as a Terrapin, Baltimore native and former Montverde Academy star center Derik Queen was absolutely dominant against Manhattan, posting the first-ever 20-20 game by a Maryland freshman, scoring 22 points and grabbing 20 rebounds. A true post player, Queen patrolled the paint and used his 6-foot-10, 245-pound frame to take over against the Jaspers’ front court.

He was stellar on the defensive end as well, recording two blocks and serving as a general deterrent in the paint. His physicality was on display throughout the performance, but what popped even more were his instincts on the boards on both ends. He was always in an advantageous position to rebound the ball, often doing so on offense, which resulted in put-backs for points.

He also showed off his face-up game, something that is a huge part of being an interior player in the modern NBA. On one possession, he hit a jab step before bodying up against a Manhattan defender, finishing through the opposing player with contact for two points. On another, he hit a pump fake from the perimeter before hitting a Euro-step. He missed the initial shot, but tipped in his own miss for another bucket.

An underrated part of Queen’s game is his passing ability. On a particularly impressive sequence, he ripped a board on the defensive end before dishing a near full-court dime to teammate Julian Reese for an easy transition lay-in. He nearly had another assist as well on a skip pass from the post to a wide-open Deshawn Harris-Smith, who missed a three-point shot, only to have Queen rebound it and put it back up for two.

In a 2024-25 class full of great bigs, Queen stood out with this lottery-pick type of performance. Of course, the level of competition will dramatically increase over the course of the season, but to dominate as he did in this situation shows a level of aptitude not always seen with freshmen, especially this early on.

He will get his first real test of the season when he goes up against Marquette and their front court of David Joplin and Ben Gold on Nov. 15.

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.