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Has March Madness darling Derik Queen played his way into Charlotte Hornets' draft territory?

Analyzing Derik Queen's fit in Charlotte.

Matt Alquiza

Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
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Stars are born in March. From Steph Curry to Ali Farokhmanesh to Jimmer Fredette to Kemba Walker to the springy athletes of Dunk City, the month has a way of shining a light on previously unheard of names across the college hoops landscape.

Derik Queen, a consensus top-15 recruit that played his high school ball alongside Cooper Flagg at Montverde Academy before joining the 'Crab Five' at Maryland isn't necessarily one of those 'previously unheard of names,' but his game-winning bank shot to send the Terps to their first Sweet Sixteen since 2016 raised his profile immensely.

Queen's name has hovered around the mid-to-late draft lottery range in mocks for much of the college season. The über skilled big man is an intriguing NBA prospect due to his combination of size, fluidity, and skill, and his recent performances in NCAA Tournament wins against Grand Canyon and Colorado State have skyrocketed him up draft boards.

Jonathan Wasserman of B/R released his Pre-Sweet Sixteen mock draft on Monday morning and sent Queen to Brooklyn with the fifth overall pick. As the Charlotte Hornets continue to rack up meaningless wins and harm their chances at landing the draft's ultimate prize, the aforementioned Cooper Flagg, a marriage between Queen and the franchise that resides in a city with a moniker that shares his name could be in the cards. But should it be?

How would Derik Queen fit with the Hornets?

Maryland Terrapins center Derik Queen (25) passes the ball against the Colorado State Rams
Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Queen's fit on offense makes some sense.

Due to his lack of size and strength, the Maryland big man projects as a full-time power forward in the NBA. His uncanny ability to initiate offense as an on-ball creator at 6'10", 246 pounds, would be a deadly weapon to pair with LaMelo Ball.

Outside of Mark Williams, Ball doesn't have a go-to pick and roll partner in Charlotte. Queen would bring a versatile offensive game that could take advantage of confused defenses in the screen game as a play finisher on the roll, a shot creator as a passer, or even a handler in four/five picking actions with Mark Williams.

He isn't anywhere close to an efficient jump shooter (19.4% from three, 75.5% on free throws) in college, but his ability to attack space and make seeing eye passes as a driver on closeouts mitigates his shooting issues.

On defense, the fit is questionable.

Queen has, at times, been...disinterested in defending. The big man has a Jokic-like ability to deflect shots and passes due to his wingspan and Einstein-like IQ, but he also has a Jokic-like ability to fall asleep on occasion when his primary matchup doesn't have the ball.

However, the defensive ceiling isn't in the basement. Maryland's defensive unit performs at an elite level when Queen is on the floor and his defensive efficiency stats are up there with some of the country's most talented freshman big men.

In summation, Queen would be far from a home run in Charlotte, but he'd be a solid pick with a reasonably high-end potential outcome if he develops a jumper and finds a home on defense.

Outside of Flagg and projected number two overall pick Dylan Harper, every prospect in this class has red flags on their profile. The tier of Queen, VJ Edgecombe, Ace Bailey, Kon Knueppel, or any other prospect in that range, will be a "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" type of scouting project. It would be far from shocking if the Hornets fall in love with Queen and bring him to Charlotte.

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Matt Alquiza
MATT ALQUIZA

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