The NBA Draft day is less than a month away from us and teams are assessing their picks and shortlisting players who they could bring onto their roster.
The Dallas Mavericks secured the number one overall pick and are expected to draft Copper Flagg.
Names like Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey are expected to be in the top five as well, but some phenomenal college players have also been picked outside the top 10 before.
Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic was not even picked in the first round of the draft, but he has since gone on to make an everlasting impact in the league.
A prospect from the draft class of 2025 has already been nicknamed baby Jokic for his passing ability and he could be picked in the lottery.
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty ImagesDerik Queen speaks on Jokic comparisons
Derik Queen was one of the stars in the NCAA tournaments and he averaged over 16 points and nine rebounds for Maryland there.
He also hit a game winner for his side, and helped them get into the Sweet 16.
His passing ability helped him earn the nickname baby Jokic and at 6 foot 10, Queen could be a perfect NBA player for any team that drafts him.
Speaking on comparisons to Jokic, Queen said: “I don’t know, I just go with the basic answer everybody else gives me, Jokic. I don’t really try to compare myself.”
Queen’s teammate in college DeShawn Harris-Smith explained what was helping him draw comparisons to Jokic.
“I feel like everybody calls him Baby Jokic because he definitely plays the low post, gets everybody involved,” said Smith.
He can score well, but is also a brilliant rebounder of the ball and can be a disruptor in the paint.
Queen also stated he can do a variety of things on the court and if that is true, he is expected to be a lottery pick in the draft.
He said: “Unexpected, somebody of my size you probably don’t see often, or probably never seen it, but good rebounder, good passer, good scorer, knows the game well, just a variety of things.”
The 20-year-old is also a fan of LA Lakers star LeBron James.
“LeBron of course, James Harden, ‘Melo, AD, I used to watch the Big Three on the Heat, a few other guys. I was always a LeBron fan,” Queen added.
Queen would be a good pickup for the Chicago Bulls
As per ESPN‘s prediction, Queen is expected to be the 12th overall pick by the Chicago Bulls.
With the team having recently parted ways with Zach LaVine and expected to move away from Jonas Valanciunas, this is going to be a busy offseason for the Bulls.
Coby White and Josh Giddey had a great end to the 2024-25 regular season to help the Bulls get into the play-in tournament, but the team was defeated there by the Miami Heat.
A lot of GMs have predicted a roster blow up in the offseason, with players like Valanciunas and White expected to be on the move.
This will give Queen the chance to develop in Chicago, with not a lot of spotlight on him.
He showed his ability in college, but the NBA will take some time to adapt to and Queen can do that comfortably with the Bulls – a team that is looking to rebuild next season.
The team should make the move to draft Queen if he is available to them. He would be a good fit as they do not have a lot of bigs.
While his famous game winner showed his ability to shoot, Queen does have the skillset that separates him from other players in his draft class and the Bulls should be looking to add him to their roster on June 25.