486 replies to this topic

[BSLMikeLowe]

I don't think someone's mock draft in February is going to be the final word on Derik's decision.

 

I do think if he's certain he'll be a 1st Round pick, especially if some team makes a promise to him, then he will and should go.

 

Beyond the 1st Round, I think the decision gets a little less obvious now that we are in the NIL era, and come next year will also be in the revenue sharing era. At that point depending on what MD and the boosters can offer him to stay it might make more sense to do so and work on his shooting range....because not being uber-athletic, developing that range and the ability to help space the floor will be crucial for him to have a NBA career.

[BSLChrisStoner]

I don't think someone's mock draft in February is going to be the final word on Derik's decision.

 

I do think if he's certain he'll be a 1st Round pick, especially if some team makes a promise to him, then he will and should go.

 

Beyond the 1st Round, I think the decision gets a little less obvious now that we are in the NIL era, and come next year will also be in the revenue sharing era. At that point depending on what MD and the boosters can offer him to stay it might make more sense to do so and work on his shooting range....because not being uber-athletic, developing that range and the ability to help space the floor will be crucial for him to have a NBA career.

Seems unlikely to me that there is much / any percentage chance that a projected Top 10 on an ESPN mock in mid Feb falls out of the 1st round. 

I guess not impossible, but highly improbable imo.

[You Play to Win the Game]

I don't see an above average NBA player in Queen and have concerns he's an NBA guy at all with the modern game. He is uber talented though, and if they can change his frame and he can develop a bit of a shot, he definitely would have significant upside.

 

He won't be playing college ball next year. I tend to doubt he'll actually play in the NBA either, at least next year.

[BSLMikeLowe]

Seems unlikely to me that there is much / any percentage chance that a projected Top 10 on an ESPN mock in mid Feb falls out of the 1st round. 

I guess not impossible, but highly improbable imo.

 

#10 sounds too high for him. I'm wondering if Givony just saw him in the Rutgers game and wrote that up without looking at the whole body of work that would show some definite inconsistency.

 

But I agree that dropping out of the 1st Round seems improbable too. It's been said for more than a year now that 2025 is a loaded draft class, but the more the college season plays out the more it looks like there's Cooper Flagg and then there's everyone else.

[Mackus]

I'm sure he's gone, but NIL does make it a bit of a different equation than in the past when as soon as you could get guaranteed money it was an obvious choice to go and very few clear 1st round picks ever returned.

 

I fully expect him to go with a mid-first projection, but its over $2M difference between what the 10th pick and 20th picks get paid (if a quick google search I just did can be trusted).  Not impossible that he thinks he could go from late teens to late single digits with an extra year to improve and show off more perimeter scoring and maybe post moves.  That would earn him an extra couple million on his first NBA deal and he could probably get $1.5-3M in the meantime from Terps boosters for the effort.  Of course that gets you to your 2nd contract a year later, and that's where the real money is at.  Queen's already an older freshman, so all the more reason to go start your pro career as soon as you can.

[hallas]

I don't see an above average NBA player in Queen and have concerns he's an NBA guy at all with the modern game. He is uber talented though, and if they can change his frame and he can develop a bit of a shot, he definitely would have significant upside.

 

He won't be playing college ball next year. I tend to doubt he'll actually play in the NBA either, at least next year.

 

If you are looking for a big guy, who are you taking over Queen?  Maluach, and then after that who?  Even Maluach, obviously size and athleticism aren't teachable skills, but he has really high error bars IMO because of how one-dimensional he is.  After that you're looking at Asa Newell, Essengue, and Sorber.  Essengue is a project, and Sorber is currently projected outside the lottery.  Newell is pretty close comp as far as I can tell. He looks like he's a little more athletic, and he's shown the ability to shoot a little bit, but he's not as good a passer out of the block and generally doesn't move as smoothly.

 

If you get a league-average player at 10, that's maybe not great, but it's also not bad.  I also think that Queen's body control gives him a little upside as a technical post player (like maybe a budget Tim Duncan.)

[You Play to Win the Game]

I'm sure he's gone, but NIL does make it a bit of a different equation than in the past when as soon as you could get guaranteed money it was an obvious choice to go and very few clear 1st round picks ever returned.

 

I fully expect him to go with a mid-first projection, but its over $2M difference between what the 10th pick and 20th picks get paid (if a quick google search I just did can be trusted).  Not impossible that he thinks he could go from late teens to late single digits with an extra year to improve and show off more perimeter scoring and maybe post moves.  That would earn him an extra couple million on his first NBA deal and he could probably get $1.5-3M in the meantime from Terps boosters for the effort.  Of course that gets you to your 2nd contract a year later, and that's where the real money is at.  Queen's already an older freshman, so all the more reason to go start your pro career as soon as you can.

TreVeyon Henderson is a good example of this for Ohio State. He would've likely been the 1st RB taken off the board in last years draft, but Ohio St was able to secure a big enough NIL deal for him to stay another year and take the guaranteed money. Now he gets his Natty, that money earned in 2024, and enters 2025 as again a top 5 draft prospect at the position.

[hallas]

#10 sounds too high for him. I'm wondering if Givony just saw him in the Rutgers game and wrote that up without looking at the whole body of work that would show some definite inconsistency.

 

But I agree that dropping out of the 1st Round seems improbable too. It's been said for more than a year now that 2025 is a loaded draft class, but the more the college season plays out the more it looks like there's Cooper Flagg and then there's everyone else.

 

I found 2 other recent mocks that put him up at 10 as well.  It feels a little high?  But not a lot.  I think bottom of the lottery is better than a coinflip at this point.

[You Play to Win the Game]

If you are looking for a big guy, who are you taking over Queen?  Maluach, and then after that who?  Even Maluach, obviously size and athleticism aren't teachable skills, but he has really high error bars IMO because of how one-dimensional he is.  After that you're looking at Asa Newell, Essengue, and Sorber.  Essengue is a project, and Sorber is currently projected outside the lottery.  Newell is pretty close comp as far as I can tell. He looks like he's a little more athletic, and he's shown the ability to shoot a little bit, but he's not as good a passer out of the block and generally doesn't move as smoothly.

 

If you get a league-average player at 10, that's maybe not great, but it's also not bad.  I also think that Queen's body control gives him a little upside as a technical post player (like maybe a budget Tim Duncan.)

I don't know. I'm not an NBA Draft expert today. But from the NBA games I watch, I can't imagine Queen having an impact next year in the league. Not writing him off as not being a legit prospect though.

[BSLChrisStoner]

I don't know. I'm not an NBA Draft expert today. But from the NBA games I watch, I can't imagine Queen having an impact next year in the league. Not writing him off as not being a legit prospect though.

Not having an impact is different than being in the league of course.

I kind of agree with you on what he is, and the questions at the next level... and he might be G League all of next year... (with the additional experience probably helpful).

 

But it's also not impossible to see how he could be utilized for a few minutes at a time. 

The mock referenced to OKC would be ideal for him.
Probably G League, more experience, actually developed. 

 

I thought Len had a chance to be more useful in the NBA than he has been, but he's been in the league since '13-'14, and has made nearly $50M...   Queen might never be a star particularly in today's NBA, but he's different enough from most of what is out there that he should make a good living, and be able to stick in the NBA in some capacity. 

I know some will point to Diamond Stone, but Queen has a higher skill set..   (Stone still playing professionally, good for him... not everyone is an NBA guy, but I'm sure he's made some decent $.)

Others will point to a Jordan Williams... but as strong as Williams was his Soph year (honestly one of the underrated Terps seasons), he wasn't overly skilled, and of course we later found out a big knuckle head.


if Queen keeps working in the gym, and commits to being regularly motivated (not just sometimes motivated), I think he can help teams, and has a chance to be someone at some point.  Next year at best, he's a role player for someone. 

[Ravens2006]

Queen looks oddly disinterested or unfocused or low energy (or something in that realm) to me at times. I didn't see a second of the Rutgers game and saw he had crazy big numbers. Great. But I don't see a guy who takes over and tilts the game against quality big men. That's what bugs me regardless of his apparent natural ability.

As a freshman, Joe Smith took over some games in crunch time. He looked focused at all times, even when he didn't single-handedly win a game. I dunno... just don't see that in Queen. But I guess I'm blind here...

[Mackus]

I didn't see a second of the Rutgers game and saw he had crazy big numbers. Great. But I don't see a guy who takes over and tilts the game against quality big men.

Seems like you don't see it because you're not watching. He was dominant against Rutgers for basically the whole game but you're poo-pooing it because you missed the game.

He isn't as good as Joe Smith, that's a tough comp.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Seems like you don't see it because you're not watching. He was dominant against Rutgers for basically the whole game but you're poo-pooing it because you missed the game.

He isn't as good as Joe Smith, that's a tough comp.

There isn’t a MacGif in the world big enough

[BSLZackKiesel]

Queen's game is still developing. He transformed his body between his senior year of high school and freshman year of college, and that should continue at the next level. While his jump shot hasn't been super reliable yet, the form is good and he'll absolutely be able to become a legitimate threat from beyond the arc. Add in his ball skills and passing ability and you have the framework for a quality, modern NBA big.

 

The only way he was ever coming back to College Park was some sort of major injury. Barring that, he's gone.

[hallas]

Queen looks oddly disinterested or unfocused or low energy (or something in that realm) to me at times. I didn't see a second of the Rutgers game and saw he had crazy big numbers. Great. But I don't see a guy who takes over and tilts the game against quality big men. That's what bugs me regardless of his apparent natural ability.

As a freshman, Joe Smith took over some games in crunch time. He looked focused at all times, even when he didn't single-handedly win a game. I dunno... just don't see that in Queen. But I guess I'm blind here...

 

I usually rate effort by how good they look defensively, and whenever I see Queen play he's always in great position in the post.  He doesn't rack up blocks but defenders pretty rarely have good looks against Queen down low, and he gets there without fouling too much.  I haven't really seen them against spread offenses so I think we have to see how he does defending a stretch 4 that chucks it up a lot behind the arc, but I can't really knock him on his effort if he's going to keep defenders so uncomfortable in the paint.

 

Offensively he's definitely had days where he gets banged around in the paint, and his shot won't fall.  But he's such a good passer and he doesn't force much so I'm generally okay with that kind of play.  I felt like he's had the right balance between taking the shot if he has a good look, and passing it to open teammates when that is available to him.

[DuffMan]

Random question, as I've been watchin the Terps a little bit more lately.  I've noticed that when ever Queen goes to the line there are no other Terps lined up on the key and after every 1st attempt he leans forward to high five teammates  who aren't there then turns around to see them.   Is this some kind of season long "bit"?

[glenn__davis]

Random question, as I've been watchin the Terps a little bit more lately.  I've noticed that when ever Queen goes to the line there are no other Terps lined up on the key and after every 1st attempt he leans forward to high five teammates  who aren't there then turns around to see them.   Is this some kind of season long "bit"?

 

He's done it every time that I've been watching. 

 

I do find it curious that when he's on the line, we routinely put no one on the offensive block for rebounding.  I guess Willard doesn't think it's worth it and just concedes the rebound to get the defense set.

[BSLMattJergensen]

Queen's game is still developing. He transformed his body between his senior year of high school and freshman year of college, and that should continue at the next level. While his jump shot hasn't been super reliable yet, the form is good and he'll absolutely be able to become a legitimate threat from beyond the arc. Add in his ball skills and passing ability and you have the framework for a quality, modern NBA big.

 

The only way he was ever coming back to College Park was some sort of major injury. Barring that, he's gone.

Agreed on all counts. You can see him slowly asserting himself more at times and Reese has been a good mentor for him. He's challenged him when he's needed it.

 

I'm not the biggest NBA fan anymore and over the years the idea of who is pro ready has changed. Scouts look at measurables and see what they can coach up instead of true performance at the college level.

 

If Queen is getting legit Round One interest he's gone.

[BSLZackKiesel]

Maryland rises five spots to #20 in this week's AP Poll.

[BSLRoseKatz]

Seems fair, obviously I don't think they're playing like the 20th-best team in the country right now but I'd imagine most teams ahead of them don't have clunkers like Northwestern and Washington