2025 NBA Draft: Nets Prioritize Size and Creativity in Recent Mock

The Nets go with Derik Queen and Egor Demin high in the first round.

Mar 26, 2025; Newark, NJ, USA; Brigham Young Cougars guard Egor Demin (3) warms up during a practice session in preparation for an East Regional semifinal game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The latest update to Yahoo Sports' 2025 NBA Draft guide has the Brooklyn Nets selecting freshmen Derik Queen and Egor Demin with the No. 6 and No. 17 overall picks, as well as international duo Hugo González and Ben Saraf in the late first round.

Queen and Demin were both knocked out of the NCAA Tournament recently against Florida and Alabama, respectively. They both have a chance of being lottery picks, although Queen’s stock appears to be on the rise, while Demin’s has fluctuated since a strong start to the season against low-tier competition was marred by struggles against the better teams in college basketball.

Queen is a frontcourt playmaker who can put the ball on the floor attacking off the catch or out of face-ups. He plays in a somewhat unorthodox way, doing most of his scoring at the basket while using his handle and creativity to offset his athletic limitations, but it has produced good results at every level until now.

The Maryland freshman’s swing skill is probably his 3-pointer. Queen will never be an exceptional defender, and he lacks switchability and the genuine capacity to guard in space, but he is productive enough with active hands that he can sometimes get stops in the pick-and-roll. On that end, it’ll be more about a schematic fit for him — but the Nets under head coach Jordi Fernández have mixed in more aggressive coverages. The fit makes more sense on offense, where Queen could be used as a hub around the elbows or even bring the ball up the floor in due time. 

It's worth noting that the 20-year-old is older for a freshman, having been born on Dec. 27, 2004. For comparison, the projected No. 1 pick in the draft, Cooper Flagg, was born on Dec. 21, 2006. That said, Flagg did reclassify — but even then, Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey were born in March and August of 2006. Yahoo’s mock isn’t the only recent draft exercise to feature the Nets drafting Queen.

Demin can be thought of in a similar light to Josh Giddey when the now-Chicago Bulls playmaker was entering the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He’s a big guard who’s probably more of a broad ballhandler in the NBA, rather than a specific backcourt denomination, and can make plays in transition or in the pick-and-roll. The BYU freshman’s passing is undoubtedly his best attribute. Fernández could think about using him similarly to Ben Simmons.

Things can get dicey for Demin when he has to create separation against the defense, be that to score, dribble or pass. The first area is probably the trickiest in terms of NBA projection. Demin finished the season having made 27.3% of his 154 attempted threes; however, there is encouraging volume and willingness. The Russian prospect is also big and skilled enough to theoretically put pressure on the rim, but he can struggle to manufacture space against defenders who can bother his slightly stiff handle. 

Yahoo’s first round mock finishes with Brooklyn drafting González (No. 26) and Saraf (No. 27) consecutively. Their draft guide also gave the team those two prospects in a previous mock. 

The Nets are 25-51 this season. Their next game is on Thursday night when Barclays Center hosts the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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