Within a month of NBA Draft Day, the team is evaluating their picks and the finalists they can bring to their roster.
The Dallas Mavericks are expected to secure the number one overall pick and draft the copper flag.
Names like Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey are also expected to be in the top five, but some incredible college players have been previously selected outside the top ten.
Third-time MVP Nikola Jokic was not selected in the first round of the draft, but he has since continued to have an eternal influence in the league.
The outlook for the 2025 draft class has already been called Baby Jokic because of his ability to pass, and he could be selected for the lottery.
Derik Queen was one of the stars of the NCAA Tournament, and he averaged over 16 points and nine rebounds for Maryland.
He also hit the winner of the game on his side and helped them enter the sweet 16.
His passing ability helps him acquire the nickname Baby Jokic, and at 6 feet 10, the Queen could be the perfect NBA player for the team drafting him.
Speaking about his comparison with Jokic, Queen said:
A teammate from the university explained what would help him compare Deshaun Harris Smith to Jokic.
“He definitely plays a low post and everyone gets involved so it feels like everyone is calling him Baby Jokic,” Smith said.
He can score, but he is also a great rebounder for the ball and can become a paint destroyer.
Queen also states that he can do a variety of things in court, and if that’s true, he is expected to be a lottery pick in the draft.
He states:
The 20-year-old is also a fan of La Lakers star LeBron James.
“Of course, LeBron, James Harden, Melo, Advertisement, I was watching the Big Three in the heat. A few others. I’ve always been a LeBron fan,” Queen added.
ESPN forecasts show that the Queen will be the 12th overall pick by the Chicago Bulls.
This will be a busy offseason for the Bulls as the team was recently split up with Zach Lavine and was expected to leave Jonas Valanciunas.
Coby White and Josh Giddey had a major end to the 2024-25 regular season and helped the Bulls enter the play-in tournament, but the team was defeated in the Miami Heat.
Many GMs expect their roster to explode in the offseason, with players like Valanciunas and White expected to move.
This gives Queen an opportunity to develop in Chicago. He doesn’t have much spotlight.
He showed his abilities in college, but the NBA took a little time to adapt, and Queen could do it comfortably with the Bulls. This is a rebuilding process next season.
The team will need to move to draft the Queen if he is available. They don’t have many big so he would be perfect.
While the winner of his famous game showed his ability to film, the Queen has a skill set that separates him from other players in his draft class, and the Bulls should be trying to add him to their roster on June 25th.
