In a recent mock draft, Chicago left with Maryland center Derik Queen.
The end of the 2024-25 NBA season is nearing, and while the Chicago Bulls are preparing for a Play-In berth, the 2025 NBA Draft is still the real prize for this season.
Having offloaded plenty of its win-now talent now in Alex Caruso, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, the Bulls are teetering between competitive and full scale rebuild, and are set to add a late-lottery pick in a few months. Their last late-lotto choice in forward Matas Buzelis seems to be working out well, and adding more talent will be the only way to leave the middling area of the league.
In a recent mock draft posted to YouTube, the Bulls gambled on Maryland big Derik Queen, who saw a fiery tournament in leading the Terrapins to the Sweet 16. You can watch the full video below or read on:
At 6-foot-10, Queen signed on to Maryland as a five-star true freshman, and more than lived up to the hype, averaging 16.5 points, nine rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting 53% overall.
He comes from the same archetypal line as players like Alperen Sengun, Domantas Sabonis and more, offering a unique blend of size, interior scoring and a hefty dose of play-making. There are tweener negatives such as a lack of rim-protection and less-than-adequate shooting, but the upside is clear.
With the Bulls, Queen would likely immediately be one of the more talented scorers on the team, and could blend in seamlessly with passers like Josh Giddey, Coby White, Lonzo Ball and more.
Perhaps best of all, Queen’s lack of real defensive prowess, and especially shot-blocking, could be made up for somewhat by Buzelis, who possesses and lengthy frame and defensive instincts of his own.
The Maryland big would certainly be a gamble, but one that could pay off down the line.