The Chicago Bulls officially pick 12th overall in the upcoming NBA Draft this June, where they will be searching the back end of the lottery for a diamond in the rough. With a little over a month until the Bulls are on the clock, I will be providing weekly assessments of how prospects projected to go in the back of the lottery fit with Chicago.

Prospect Profile: Assessing Derik Queen’s Fit with the Bulls

Derik Queen is a 6-foot-10, 246-pound center and one of the top big men in the 2025 draft class. During his freshman season at Maryland, Queen averaged 16.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. To cap the season off, Queen earned Big Ten All-Freshman and First Team All-Big Ten team honors.

Anchored by Queen’s stardom, the Terrapins finished the season with a 27-9 record and an appearance in the Sweet 16, the most wins that the program recorded since 2016. Queen helped lead the team all season and provided a standout performance in the NCAA Tournament. He recorded a double-double of 12 points and 15 total rebounds in the Terrapin’s 81-49 rout of Grand Canyon and scored a team-high 27 points in the 87-71 loss to Florida in the Sweet 16.

Strengths

When watching Queen’s film from last season, his rebounding, passing, and basketball IQ stand out as top strengths.

With shooting percentages of 68% from the rim and 48.4% from the paint overall, Queen is an efficient mid-range and low-post scorer. He creates space on the court with his tremendous footwork and excels at using his physicality to grab boards in the paint and score putback points. Queen is a tremendous passer for his size and one of the best in the class overall. His ability to dish the ball to teammates and find open passing lanes makes him an exceptional playmaker.

On the defensive end of the ball, Queen has the versatility to fill in guarding any position on the court as a switch defender. Queen is a better defender outside of the paint, and his ability to block shots and record steals makes him a force to be reckoned with.

Additionally, Queen’s decision-making and ability to read a defense allowed him to develop into a superstar at Maryland and offer him the potential to thrive in a high-level NBA offense.

Weaknesses

Queen’s biggest weaknesses are his lack of athleticism and outside shooting, as well as his small size for a modern NBA center.

His 6-foot-10 frame as a center leaves him undersized in non-small ball defensive matchups. The size and athleticism differences compared to his peers result in him struggling to efficiently guard quicker and taller guys in the paint. Queen is much more proficient at guarding off-ball compared to on-ball.

During the NBA Draft Combine, Queen’s 12.45-second agility drill and 28-inch max vertical were some of the lowest scores in recent history. These scores indicate that his potential explosiveness could be significantly limited.

Additionally, his outside shooting is quite poor. Queen finished last season with a three-point percentage of just 20%. His shooting will need major improvement to get to an NBA level and poses questions about how well his game will translate from college.

Fit With the Bulls

At the 12th pick, Queen could potentially become a home run selection if he falls to the Bulls. Selecting Queen would signal the end of the Nikola Vucevic era in Chicago and a commitment to the youth movement by adding a young, promising player to the frontcourt.

Queen’s versatile offensive skill set and IQ would complement the rest of the roster well. Assuming the Bulls continue to run the fast-paced offense that was tied for second-most possessions last year with 106.4, Queen’s ability to create passing lanes in the post translates well to Billy Donovan’s offense. His ability to use his body to score buckets and grab boards makes him one of the most currently NBA-ready prospects. Queen would join the Bulls ready to make an instant impact on offense.

There are realistic concerns that loom around Queen’s size, defense, and outside shooting. The Bulls are no stranger to these concerns in their frontcourt, as Vucevic struggled with guarding top centers and three-point shooting for the majority of his Bulls’ tenure. However, Queen is much younger than Vucevic and has more room to develop these skills. Vucevic just had the best three-point shooting season of his career at year 14. With patience from the coaching staff, Queen has lots of room to work on improving his outside shot. Regarding defensive concerns, if the Bulls limit Queen’s minutes early on and play him at power forward opposite Zach Collins, Queen can learn from Collins and take the slower matchups to start his career.

The Last Word

With rumors swirling about the Bulls potentially being interested in Zion Williamson, Queen could be a cheaper and less-injured consolation prize, as both share similar play styles. The size and defense concerns are legitimate, but the Bulls struggle on defense as it is currently. The mix of scoring, playmaking, and rebounding that Queen brings to the table offers a superstar upside that the Bulls cannot pass up if Queen is on the board at the 12th pick.

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