Days ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft, Maryland star Derik Queen and his family receive a coveted green room invite
Maryland standout Derik Queen is set for one of the biggest moments of his young career after receiving a coveted invitation to the 2025 NBA Draft green room. The 6-foot-10 forward was one of 13 top prospects invited to the prestigious area, where players and their families await to hear their names called by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
NBA announced the list on Tuesday, with Queen joining a talented group of prospects including Asa Newell, Kasparas Jakucionis, Ace Bailey, VJ Edgecombe, Cooper Flagg, Egor Demin, Tre Johnson, Carter Bryant, Dylan Harper, Kon Knueppel, Khaman Maluach and Jeremiah Fears.
Queen’s invite comes as no surprise following his standout freshman season at Maryland. In his single year with the Terrapins, the center averaged 16.5 points, 9.0 rebounds per game in 36 appearances.
Queen had a massive year for Maryland and made history by breaking several records. He led all freshmen in the country with 14 double-doubles, and broke the school’s record for the most points scored by a freshman, dropping 594 in total.
On top of that, Queen now has the second-best scoring average ever for a Maryland freshman at 16.3 points per game. And just to show how special that is, the last Maryland freshman to have a 30-point, 10-rebound game was Joe Smith back in 1994.
The center was a big reason why Maryland made it to the Sweet 16 and he picked up the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award for his efforts over the season, got named to the All-Big Ten Second Team, and also made the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
Potential landing spots for Derik Queen
Most mock drafts have Derik Queen going somewhere in the top 10, and a lot of people think he will be one of the first big men taken when the draft gets going on June 25 in Brooklyn.
As for landing spots, a few teams are in the mix right now according to projections. The Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks have all been mentioned in mock drafts as possible destinations.
With Derik Queen’s mix of size and skill, you can see why teams want him, and wherever he lands, he is probably going to boost their frontcourt depth straight away.