Would Derik Queen Fit With The Utah Jazz?
Jun 6, 2025, 2:41 PM
Derik Queen #25 of the Maryland Terrapins (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY—After the Utah Jazz fell to the fifth pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, one name they’ll monitor closely is Maryland big man Derik Queen.
The Jazz had a 52.1 percent chance of landing one of the top four picks in the draft, but slipped to fifth in the lottery.
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Derik Queen Scouting Report
Bio: 16.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists: .526/.200/.766
Maryland – F/C – 20 years old on draft night
Strengths: One of two true big men likely to be selected within the top 10 of the 2025 draft, Queen has the type of versatile offensive game that is en vogue in today’s NBA.
At 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, Queen carries a big body, but has agile feet that make him a dangerous offensive weapon when facing up in the post, or attacking from the perimeter.
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With his high basketball IQ, nimble ballhandling, and creative passing, the Maryland native has the potential to be both a dangerous scorer in the post and an above-average playmaker for his position at the next level.
As he showed with his buzzer-beating runner against Colorado State in the NCAA Tournament, Queen is a threat to attack defenders in isolation, while offering real promise as a screen setter in short-roll situations.
INSANE VIEW OF DERIK QUEEN’S GAME WINNER 🤯#MarchMadness @TerrapinHoops pic.twitter.com/lGpjOFQzzc
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2025
While he may not jump off the page as a dominant rebounder, Queen recorded double-doubles in 15 of his 36 games as a freshman, including six games with 14 or more boards.
Overall, the freshman was one of the most productive players in the Big Ten, justifying his top 20 recruiting ranking, and future as a lottery pick.
Weaknesses: While Queen shines at a high level on the offensive end, he’s equally poor defensively.
As only an average athlete, the freshman offered almost no rim protection and lacked the fundamentals to be a deterrent on the perimeter when switched onto smaller players.
Without significant growth on that end, Queen may not have a true defensive position in the NBA, and could be a target of opposing offenses throughout his career.
Despite his high IQ and enormous skill level, the big man’s approach is often lackadaisical on the court, rarely playing at full speed or with the type of focus seen from the best players in the NBA.
Maryland’s Derik Queen’s official measurements from the NBA Draft Combine:
6’9 ¼ barefoot, 247.8 lbs with a 7’0 ½” wingspan and 9’1 ½” standing reach
Queen added an inch and dropped a few pounds from his last batch of measurements in 2023. pic.twitter.com/UIOQp4vJTA
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 12, 2025
Furthermore, Queen has had to fight questions about his conditioning throughout his career, and did little to ease those concerns after showing up to the combine out of shape.
Though his 76 percent free-throw shooting may lend itself to some promise in the future, Queen shot just 20 percent from the three-point line on very limited attempts.
At Maryland, the big man made a three in just four different games, and connected on just seven attempts overall.
While ground-bound bigs are not extinct in the NBA, Queen isn’t a lob threat, and may struggle to maintain his high rebounding average in the pros.
Despite being a true one-and-done, Queen will turn 21 in December of his rookie season, making him one of the older freshmen in his class
How Would Derik Queen Fit With The Jazz?
Size and offensive talent are always at a premium in the NBA, and if Queen hits his highest ceiling, he has All-Star potential.
However, due to his serious defensive limitations, questions about his conditioning, and the amount of work needed to develop as a floor spacer, a prospect like Queen would have been a better option for the Jazz earlier in the rebuild, versus this year with a top-five selection.
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While Queen would benefit most from a team that can be patient with his development, there might not be enough opportunity to grow in Utah with Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, Taylor Hendricks, and Kyle Filipowski already on the roster.
With his inability to space the floor as a shooter, Queen might struggle to fit next to a non-shooter like Kessler, but may be too poor of a defender to share lineups with Filipowski or Markkanen.
Ultimately, Queen would have been an intriguing option when the Jazz were selecting in the second half of the lottery in each of the last two offseasons, but is a less ideal fit with the current makeup of the roster at this point in the draft.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky.
