Derik Queen

Derik Queen has some of the best hands in high school basketball, and they are the basis for so many of the other ways in which he impacts the game. Initially, he made his mark as a high-volume rebounder. He wasn’t the biggest, longest, or most athletic, but the fact that he could hold on to virtually any ball he could reach allowed him to be a menace both in traffic and outside his area.

He not only makes tough catches with regularity, and makes them on the move as well, but he also has both good touch around the rim and as a ball-handler. As he’s gotten older, he’s evolved into more of a mismatch big, who could use his face-up skills – specifically as a handler and passer – to make plays and facilitate from different spots on the floor. He can play off the elbows, operate in dribble hand-off action, make decisions off short rolls, take the ball off the glass to start the break, and has the potential to play in numerous types of offensive actions.

While he’s not an especially explosive vertical athlete, Queen is still an efficient finisher inside, because he has very good footwork and balance through contact to match his dexterity. He’s also capable of creating some space with short one-footed fade-aways from around the paint, although those shots become less efficient.

Despite his naturally soft hands and touch, Queen is not yet a consistent floor-spacer. He actually showed more shooting potential when he was younger and has been plagued by very unorthodox release points within the last year, particularly at the free-throw line.

His game is based more on skill and finesse than it is physical gifts. His conditioning has been a constant work-in-progress throughout his high school career, and while his fitness level is as good as we’ve seen right now, he still doesn’t have a ton of sheer explosiveness.

Defensively, that can cause some concerns, as he’s often best guarding opposing five-men and playing drop coverages against pick-and-rolls, and yet not a classic rim protector either. However, his defensive metrics – both in terms of steals and blocks – were high in the UAA.

Overall, he projects as a skilled facilitating big who can handle, pass, rebound, and create all kinds of mismatch problems because of the rare overlap of those tools. If his shooting, conditioning, and athleticism evolve, it will unlock new levels to his game altogether.

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• Evaluated 07/16/2021 Brandon Jenkins Recruiting Analyst Read