We can lock this in…

We can lock this in…

I’m ready to lock this in, folks, as we’ve heard a lot of names linked to the Toronto Raptors ever since it was confirmed the Raptors were selecting with the number nine overall selection in this year’s NBA draft. And one name that a lot of fans have been clamoring for that have been bringing up is Derek Queen, who is a big man who fits a positional need for this Toronto Raptor team and frankly was a very exciting and talented basketball player out there in college. However, I’m ready to lock in despite what all the mock drafts are saying, despite what’s coming out regarding positional needs and everything like that for a couple of reasons that Derrick Queen will not end up being a Toronto Raptor out there in this year’s NBA draft. Now, this might sound a little bit crazy because he is one of the more intriguing prospects and he is projected to go in the range of the Toronto Raptors. I want to discuss one of the more polarizing players amongst Toronto Raptors fandom in regards to a guy that could potentially get drafted for this team at this current range. So, we’re going to break down who Derrick Queen is, what it would mean for the Toronto Raptors select him, and why overall I don’t think Messiah Jury’s going to go in this direction for the NBA draft. So, lots of stuff to break down out here in this video. Before we do, folks, again, if you want to stay up to date with everything going on with this Toronto Raptor team, make sure you guys hit that subscribe button so you stay up to date because we’re delivering daily Toronto Raptors news coverage throughout the offseason, throughout next season, throughout forever. We’re rocking out some Raptors content. So, let’s dive into it because who the heck is Derk Queen? Well, if you looked at any of the mock drafts, you looked at anything that’s coming up right now and according to Tankathon, the Raptors are projected to land Derrick Queen at the number ninth overall selection, it’s really him and common malwatch, who are the two big men that a lot of people are looking for at, you know, the center position that is a positional need for the Toronto Raptors that could fall in the Toronto Raptors range. And while common Malwatch is someone I brought up a ton out here on this uh Raptors channel, Derrick Queen is someone I’ve seen in the comment section. I’ve seen on Reddit on Twitter being people either saying stay away from this guy with a 10-ft pole or hey this needs to be the player that we draft that we select and you know he should be in this range because again you see he’s mocked to go to the Toronto Raptors in this one. You see him falling to about pick where what pick is he? He’s picked 18 in this uh mock draft here from NBA draft.net. You know Malwatch falls deep in this one as well which is kind of crazy. So uh you know they’re they’re all over the place. Derrick Queen falling to 12th in this mock draft here. Derrick Queen is someone that should be available at the number nine overall selection. And don’t don’t take my word for it. Messiah Jury kind of addressed it being a position need as well. Of course, the team is going to look for the best talent available. It’s answer everyone gives, but it’s a unique draft and will feel there’ll be a talented player available when uh we get when our name gets ball. Of course, we need another young big. We would definitely look at that. But it’s not really what we are focused on to be honest. Uh there are a lot of talented kids. So basically, Mai Jury saying he understands, he believes, he agrees with the fact that yes, a big man coming into the Toronto Raptors would be a positional fit, would be a positional need for this team. However, he’s going to be looking for the best talent available. He’s going to be looking for the guy that again, when you have a lottery pick in a draft that’s supposed to be as stacked as this one is, you don’t want to just go for positional needs, the things that will impact the team right now, especially where we weren’t a great team last season. figuring out what is the highest upside, what is the best player you can basically draft at one of these positions. That’s what you really want to go for. And basically, that’s what Messiah Jerry’s been open about. And uh you know, he acknowledges the positional need and he acknowledges this. But why not Derrick Queen? Why not? Because again, you look at his stats, he’s a very good basketball player. You know, in college, again, these numbers are very different than the NBA. So 16.5 points per game, nine rebounds, 1.9 assists, you 1.1 blocks, 1.1 steals. Just a very, very solid player. not a crazy efficient three-point shooter by any stretch of the imagination, but 52% from the field. A big man that can really get the job done. I mean, if we look at his sort of overall stats and stuff, he’s 6’10”, 250 lbs. Uh he’s 20 just 20, he’s over 20 years old, so still not like super young, not a 18-year-old, you know, a guy like Cooper Flag or anything like that, but still a very young basketball player coming in and would just uh really be able to add some offensive firepower, scoring punch to this team, you know, moving in. And you know, he’s he’s an exciting basketball player. Don’t get me wrong. I think Derrick Queen is a good player. And frankly, I wouldn’t be that frustrated. I wouldn’t be mad at all in regards to someone that uh getting selected here. And we take a look at his strengths and weaknesses because again, you got to take a look at these in terms of what’s going on. You know, he has some size and speed combo. So, he’s, you know, the athleticism is in a weird spot cuz he’s 610, like not a 72 guy like Malawatch, but he does have some burst out there at the center position. He’s a switchable defender. He creates his own offense and he’s a solid passer and touch. So, you know, that’s something that, you know, you compare him to K Malawatch, just basically a very different player. You know, he’s he’s a creator at the center position. He can get a lot going for himself. He can pass. He can do a lot of stuff out there on the offensive end. Just a really comfortable basketball player at the big man position. So, these are all things that are very much pros, positives. Like, Ben, you see all these positives, why wouldn’t you draft him? Well, the cons are the things that uh frankly make me skeptical about whether or not the the Raptors would really draft him. So, first thing is not a paint anchor. So, he’s not going to be able to come out and be that defender that’s, you know, coming in and just being a rim protector, blocking a ton of shots, doing a lot of stuff at the back end of the paint. Yes, he does have some athleticism. He’s switchable, which is cool in the modern NBA, but he’s not going to be able to, you know, be that main guy. And when you want to compliment Yaka Purle, you probably want someone that’s going to be that shot blocky athletic guy. And while Yaka Purle definitely might be lean more to Derek Queen than you know your prime Tyson Chandlers or something that Messiah Juri is always kind of coveted at this point the Sergy Bakers the world he definitely uh you know isn’t usually Messiah Juri style of basketball player he’s also very streaky turnover pone and he’s a bit undersized as a big man and frankly the Toronto Raptors especially the forward and center positions they love taking flyers they love taking risks on these types of guys that are super athletic that are a bit raw coming into the NBA and you know have that extremely high upside versus someone that’s already more of a you know known commodity coming in knowing what they can do and all this type of stuff. Now, do I agree with this philosophy? It’s definitely a higher risk, high approach strategy to drafting and everything that’s going on at this point. So while Dererick Queen I think is a more polished player, I think more exciting for a lot of people coming in right at the start, positional fit, all these types of things, I think in terms of just what Messiah Juri has done in the past, he’s not going to be a specific type of archetype of player that he’d be going out and taking a pick. As important as this one is to the future of the Toronto Raptors organization. So that’s the first thing. There’s question marks about, you know, the turnover prone, all that stuff. That is what it is. But the final thing that I think put the nail in the coffin for this is Mia Jury’s always looking for, you know, a certain personality type. He’s always looking for someone that’s super bought in and super this. You know, we have different personalities in the team, light-hearted. But he did make these comments which had some Raptors fans fired up. But basically saying, “I’ve never been to Toronto. I heard it’s nice, but I also heard they got the worst taxes.” And you know, again, that’s a complete nothing burger. It’s nothing I’d personally care about. He was clearly joking out there in the interview and stuff like that, but just making comments like that that could come across as very immature, you know, when you’re giving these interviews for a place you’re about to go to and things like that. It’s uh it’s just not usually the style of player. It’s not usually the type of guy Messiah Jerry ends up drafting. It’s just the reality of it. He’s avoided that type of uh you know, polish kind of rookie coming in, knowing what they’re doing, know what they’re sell, and then personality types off the court. He’s talked about time and time again. Personality fit is the biggest thing that you’re looking for. And frankly, I just don’t see Messiah Juri going after a guy like Derek Queen. If we’re going after a big man, if there’s going to be a spot there, it’s going to be a common malwatch that’s out there in that position. That’s one name that I’d really be looking for. And a few other guys that you can kind of uh see on this list and see pop up here is Essenu is a guy that I think is very, very possible selection for the Toronto Raptors. very much a more raw basketball player coming into this team and uh you know a development project that has extremely high upside that just screams to me more of the you know common malwatch isn’t there if we don’t make any trades if we don’t make any moves the type of player that we’ll be looking at but of course we’ll be diving into all these prospects diving into all the potential fits the draft is a few weeks away now at this point so lots of stuff to cover so make sure you guys hit that subscribe button on the channel if you guys haven’t already anyways I’m signing now cheers

The Toronto Raptors have the 9th overall selection in the NBA draft this season, and one prospect that has been linked to the team a ton is Derik Queen, who is a positional fit and is a talented player. However, Ben Rogers breaks down in this video that he thinks it’s very unlikely Masai Ujiri and the Raptors take Queen with the 9th overall selection.

Raptors Digest is a YouTube Channel that covers all the latest news, trades, reports, and rumours regarding the Toronto Raptors. We provide comprehensive coverage on topics such as game highlights, player performances, and in-depth analysis of team strategies. Our channel features discussions on key players like Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Gradey Dick, Jamal Shead, Bruce Brown and Jakob Poeltl, as well as insights from Head Coach Darko Rajaković and General Manager Masai Ujiri. Stay tuned for all the exciting updates and engaging content on everything Raptors!

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