Over the past couple of weeks, the Chicago Bulls' draft targets have been narrowed down. Various rumblings have pinpointed BYU's Egor Demin, South Carolina's Collin Murray-Boyles, and Maryland's Derik Queen as the Bulls' likeliest first-round selections.
While plausible, considering Chicago's draft positioning and team needs, all aforementioned have their unique flaw. Demin, standing 6-foot-9, isn't a typical wing; he operates best with the ball in his hands, similar to Josh Giddey. Thus, there's some obvious overlap, especially considering Demin's inefficient, 27.4 percent three-point clip at BYU.
Murray-Boyles is perhaps the most versatile defender in the draft class. At 6-foot-7, 240 pounds, the former Gamecock is built to bang with bigs and smother wings with his 7-foot-1 wingspan. Murray-Boyles averaged an impressive 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals a season ago. However, where does he fit in offensively? Murray-Boyles converted merely nine three-pointers across 60 games, and his offensive game doesn't appear easily translatable to the NBA.
Lastly, Queen has the makings of an unassuming, offensive Houdini. He possesses tremendous touch, can put the ball on the floor, and has a modern-day skillset unlike most. At 6-foot-10, lacking elite or even above-average athleticism, Queen averaged 16.5 points per game, shooting 52.6 percent from the floor in his lone season at Maryland.
Unlike most new-age bigs, Queen isn't an imposing shot-blocker (1.1 per game), nor can he stroke it from deep (seven three-point makes). That's where the debate comes in. Just how effective can he be in the modern NBA? Numerous archetypes similar to Queen exist and are having success. Such as Domantas Sabonis and Alperen Şengün. Still, not even these two All-Stars are the best comparisons for the 20-year-old power forward.
Bulls' reporter compared Queen to former first-overall pick Elton Brand
Chicago Sports Network's Cam Smith dug deeper into the NBA's past to offer a throwback comparison for Queen. Smith lamented, "[Queen] reminds me of a newer age Elton Brand."
Smith further validated his comparison, saying, "[Brand and Queen] are not overly athletic but just knew how to score the basketball. [They are] great with their positioning. The basketball IQ is there. And that's why I saw the new age Elton Brand, because you're seeing Derik Queen with his ability to step out and handle the basketball."
Valid comparison from Smith. Brand averaged 17.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game while converting 62.0 percent of his field goals for the Blue Devils in his sophomore campaign. Moreover, Brand failed to attempt even one three-pointer. Conversely, he did average 2.2 blocks per game, using his 7-foot-6 wingspan to deter shots around the rim—a physical trait Queen lacks.
Still, the offensive similarities are noteworthy. Both bigs are below-the-rim finishers and rely on a combination of strength and finesse to score in the paint. The archetype is nowhere near as common as it once was. Skill has almost gone by the wayside for most bigs, as the NBA has settled for rim-runners and shot-blockers instead.
Although not an athletic marvel, there's still a place in the NBA for Queen. He's wise beyond his years and will find ways to score at the next level. Brand, probably overlooked 10 years post-retirement, enjoyed a terrific career, appearing in over 1000 contests and averaging 15.9 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.