This is the fourth in a series on potential Raptors picks in the June NBA draft. pc28has the seventh-best lottery odds at 7.5 per cent to jump to No. 1, and a 31.9 per cent chance to move into the top four. They also have a 19.7 per cent chance of staying at No. 7, and 34.1 per cent to slip to No. 8.
The 18-year-old Flagg, who leads the Blue Devils into Saturday’s NCAA Final Four, is a deadbolt lock to be drafted No. 1 on June 25.
The 18-year-old Flagg, who leads the Blue Devils into Saturday’s NCAA Final Four, is a deadbolt lock to be drafted No. 1 on June 25.
When Maryland freshman big Derik Queen hit a buzzer-beating basket to win a March Madness game, it vaulted him up the consciousness of many casual college basketball fans.
To NBA talent evaluators, the shot was in keeping with Queen’s offensive skills and shotmaking ability, but it did not answer the major questions about the six-foot-10 centre and those will dog him throughout workout sessions in the pre-draft process.
Derik Queen had an excellent weekend at the NCAA tournament, showing off his diverse skill set and aggressive mentality. He made a pair of 3s, was a significant target in pick-and-roll, and created his own shot and finished skillfully around the basket with impressive touch.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress)
Can the 20-year-old Queen disprove the feelings that this consistent work ethic is enough to carry him to the upper echelon of the NBA?
Maluach ticks every Raptors box and could be around by the time pc28picks.
Maluach ticks every Raptors box and could be around by the time pc28picks.
Can his 250-pound body be reshaped, refined and repurposed to keep up with the pace of the NBA game?
Is his glass half full? Or half empty?
“A bunch of questions and not a lot of answers right now,” one NBA official said of Queen.
Despite those questions, Queen and Duke’s Khaman Maluach are considered the top two centres in a guard- and wing-dominated draft class. Queen is seen as a surefire lottery pick, most likely in the top 10, because of above-average passing and ball-handling skills that seem a perfect fit with the evolution of the sport.
It’s not a stretch to think he’d fit in Philadelphia as someone to groom in the inevitable post-Joel Embiid era, while other draft experts think he’d be a logical fit in Chicago. And because the draft is so heavily weighted toward backcourt players, there aren’t a lot of big men under legitimate consideration.
In theory, Queen’s offensive skills would appear to be a perfect fit with the style the Raptors play and the demands they put on their big men.
They need a capable passer on the perimeter, and if there’s more shooting and a bit more ball-handling than they get from Jakob Poeltl, Queen has to be intriguing to team president Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster.
But the Raptors became one of the top defensive teams in the league in the second half of last season, in large part because of the final line of defence that Poeltl provided in the paint. That’s not yet a staple of Queen’s repertoire.
The son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper is a six-foot-six lefty with smarts and instincts that belie his 19-year-old self.
The son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper is a six-foot-six lefty with smarts and instincts that belie his 19-year-old self.
And it’s a legitimate question to ask about pc28using a high lottery pick on someone destined to start his career as a backup with obvious questions about such a highly desired attribute.
The Raptors have tended to seek backup centres much later in the draft, or in free agency. It’d be a departure from their history, and it’s doubtful that Queen is so special a talent that it would cause Ujiri, Webster and player personnel guru Dan Tolzman to deviate from what they do.
Still, Queen’s lone season at Maryland certainly caught the attention of NBA officials and college basketball observers.
Queen was an all-American in The Associated Press polling, was an all-Big Ten first-team all-star and averaged 16.5 points and nine rebounds per game in one season with the Terrapins.
“A burly big with guard-like handles who dazzles with spin moves and crafty finishes,” Yahoo Sports draft expert Kevin O’Connor .
But the question that needs to be answered — and it’s at the heart of every “draft is all too often a crapshoot” question — is whether Queen’s body can adapt to the NBA game. It’s one thing to dazzle in college; it’s another thing entirely to dazzle against the talent in the cutthroat world of the NBA.
It’s why Queen is so intriguing, but at the same time a very risky choice.
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