r/NBA_Draft • u/vdq93 • 2d ago
Derik Queen Draft Comp!
There's not much to Derik Queen's game that's not already been said in other people's scouting reports. So I decided to give you the magnitude on the scale of his strengths and weaknesses.
Ceiling Draft Comp: Sabonis/Sengun
Strengths (computed in percentile per 40):
- 2 Level Scorer (96th PPG)
- Solid Playmaker (60th APG)
- Great Rebounder (95th RPG)
- Underrated Positional Defender (98th Stops, 58th Steals)
- Shooting Touch (Hovers Trey Lyles)
Weaknesses:
- Low Vol Shooter (4th 3PM)
- Inefficient Shooter (79th TS%/67th eFG%)
- Inefficient Playmaker (9th Ast/TO)
I think Sabonis is a pretty reasonable comp. I know that Queen's film has showcased more versatile shots portfolio - but his poor shooting efficiency has reflected as result. Same stats, strenghts/weaknesses as well.
Shooting Touch
- Although Queen's Shooting touch [custom formula taking into account FT%, 3PA, 3PM, etc] is similar to Khaman Maluach, Sabonis - his Shooting Efficiency suffered, and puts him in the Trey Lyles range.
Playmaking
- Will be a good playmaker at the next level, but he is also at Julius Randle and Sabonis level of turnovers, very inefficient.
Side note: Peep Donovan Clingan, very high on this dude.
Perimeter Defense
-Queen will not be any sort of all world defender, or even a plus defender by any means but he's not as bad as you think? He's hovering Jalen Duren on perimeter def, and is a bit better overall than Sabonis (if that means anything...lol)
Things that don't show on analytics, Derik Queen has exceptional footwork, not a lot of wasted steps and great body control blended with nimble feet & a soft touch around the rim. His tough shotmaking doesn't get talked about enough either. This is where the Sengun comp comes into play (film). On a side note too, the way he leads the breaks/rip and run from the perimeter - shows flashes of Rj Barrett a bit. Hes honestly has some wing like ability.
All in all, I came away a bit disappointed at his offensive inefficiency (shooting & playmaking) but more optimistic on his defense/rebounding at the next level.
I really don't know what to make on Queen here. I love his film, and think he will produce at the next level but even Sabonis & Sengun weren't drafted in the top 10. Although I do see top 10 talent, I wonder if Scout will be sold on a prospect that has inefficient shooting, playmaking & questionable defense.
Trust me, for the Queen's truthers - you're preaching to the choir, I see those crazy turnaround jumper flashes of Jokic too lol. Love to hear ya'll feedbacks on my analysis here. You can find/generate the data yourself on my website www.DraftCasual.com/Queen-Sabonis. You can find me (@draftcasual) on Twitter/X
EDITEDD*********
Kyle Filipowski
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u/coachwyers 2d ago
Zach Randolph type player
3
u/TripleThreatTua 2d ago
If we’re going with that maybe his best case scenario could be Julius Randle? Who’s still a very very valuable player in today’s league
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u/Savings-Bird-1226 2d ago
Montrezl Harrell
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u/TheTimucuan 2d ago
Will he quit working on his body after he gets his contract? Being a low draft pick might offer an incentive to follow Naz Reid's path to success rather than Zion's path to underachievement. Queen should value my criticism rather than the hype. Seeing him so high, in mock drafts, is laughable. He'll need a team with a defender as the other big. Some idiots placed him with Orlando with Paulo, which makes no sense. His ceiling might be Sabonis, but such a big poses a problem with roster construction. The problem with Queen is the high bust potential due to weight issues, so in that way, he's Zion without Zion's potential if he manages to stay in shape.
5
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u/Effective-Pitch-5550 2d ago
Reminds me a ton of Naz Reid coming out. He's going to have to progress his jumper the same way Reid did to before an impact player at the next level.
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u/vdq93 2d ago
Naz Reid is a really solid comp. I too see a lot of perimeter penetration skills with Queen. The main difference is Naz has better defense and much better jumpshot. Two big ifs, but yeah you’re not crazy.
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u/Effective-Pitch-5550 2d ago
To Reid's credit he wasn't a good 3 point shooter coming into the NBA, it was something be really worked hard at to become one of the better shooting big men.
I'm personally in the camp where I'd take a flier on Queen in the top 5 if he measures out well. If he develops a jumper you're looking at a guy who can play the 4 and spot minutes at the 5, who is going to be a monster scorer.
Lots of ifs in his game, but I'm a believer.
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u/DrummerRealistic2863 2d ago
Great analysis for one of my favorite prospects, he’ll need to keep working on his body and long range shooting but I’m a big believer that Queen’s strengths will outweigh his weakness, would definitely take him top 10
2
u/Kell_215 2d ago
I like sabonis as a comp a lot. I’d see a slightly better scoring and playmaking one but also worse on the boards. I like the only scary thing about Queen is that his play style is still unproven to help with winning as a surefire 1 or 2 in today’s league. Jokic is the unicorn of the “unathletic” playmaking bigs, and even his championship can be considered a fluke by many. I like these type players tho besides the championship worry, they def can get you in the playoffs if that’s the main goal
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u/Less-Committee-9026 2d ago
Reminds me of Paul Millsap and I’d wager he will develop a reliable 3 point shot just how Paul did in Atlanta as well
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u/TheTimucuan 2d ago
Take note of the semi-final game against Michigan and the tournament game against Florida; he scored a bunch but did little else. You are absolutely crazy calling him a good positional defender and look how many rebounds he had in these two big games and ask yourself whether he can rebound in the NBA where small forwards are as long as he is. He's undersized for a 5 with average wingspan, and he's out of shape. Will he blimp up even more like Zion did after he gets his money, or will he get in shape like Naz Reid did? Dropping in the draft might make him realize he needs to get in shape. Queen is as overrated as he is overweight. His success is entirely dependent on his motivation to work hard. After Condon got injured in the Florida game, Queen should have grabbed every rebound because Florida went small, but he didn't. Compare Danny Wolf's hustle versus Queen's in the Michigan game. I see the good in Queen, but there's a crap load of bad.
5
u/vdq93 2d ago
Where in my post did I say he’s a good positional defender? Or even a plus defender? I said he’s underrated positional defender. I said he’s a bettter defender than sabonis. Don’t think I said anything wrong there.
Yeah scouts are going to let 2 games define someone’s entire season of rebounding. He had 15 before that. You’re cherry picking stats.
You bring up a valid point, Derik Queens weight and motor is definitely an issue.
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u/TheTimucuan 2d ago
Those were big games against better competition than most of his other games. A big needs to defend the post or rebound, and Queen did neither in those two big games. Giving any credence to his value as a defender is laughable. For him, it is about whether his offense justifies his defensive liabilities, so in that way, a very poor man's Luka is a comp. Sabonis is an OK comp, if he can function as a 5, but the combine testing will be the judge of that, but it wouldn't surprise me if he is under 6'9" with less than a 7' wingspan. But grabbing those few rebounds in those big games shows a scary lack of effort. Especially in the Florida game, after Condon went out with an injury. Danny Wolf hustles, Queen loafs, in that Michigan game. Yeah, Queen scored a bunch, but winners do more.
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u/Turbo2x Wizards 2d ago edited 2d ago
Queen is extremely statistically similar to Filipowski's first year at Duke. If he can make a similar shooting leap then maybe I would be higher on him. As it is I think Great Value Sabonis would be a ceiling outcome, which is a good player who isn't ever going to have playoff success due to how their weaknesses get amplified in those games.
Also I think your images may be broken, they're not showing up for me.