PBC Mid-Major, Big Game: Trevelin Queen

If your team is in need of a versatile, instinctual defender with a knack for quickly turning defense into easy offense, Trevelin Queen is your man. After transferring to New Mexico State following a successful 2017-18 JUCO campaign as a sophomore at the New Mexico Military Institute, Queen's  per-40 numbers as a junior caught the eyes of many evaluators. No longer a secret after being thrust into a higher usage role, Queen is statistically producing across the board early in his senior season. At 6'6" and 190 pounds, Queen is a very good athlete and possesses prototypical physical tools for a modern wing. While the sample size remains small, Queen's instinctual and athletic flashes pop on tape to accompany the strong statistical indicators, and he's certainly thrust himself into the 2020 NBA Draft conversation.

Tale of the Tape

Scoring Versatility

Queen’s jump shot is pretty smooth, on the whole, despite tending to deviate from a mechanical consistency perspective. The release is fairly slow but his touch is incredibly soft, as if he’s gently dropping the ball into the basket. Although he's struggled a bit with his jumper to start the 2019-20 season, the 80+% clip from the line and 1.067 PPP conversion rate on runners are positive shooting/touch indicators and Queen projects to improve as a shooter if he can tighten up his footwork and balance. 

As a space-creator and driver, although he doesn't have the tightest or most advance handle, he has shown capable of taking advantage when his defender loses any leverage. He has a quick, explosive first step and the vertical pop to stop to elevate on a dime.

Queen could certainly stand to improve his willingness to initiate and finish through contact as a driver. If he can hone in his athletic gifts and instincts that shine in the open court and apply them to his half-court offensive game, it'll go a long way in elevating his draft stock. The foundation is there for a well-rounded offensive arsenal and it's possible that Queen, still relatively early in his high-level competitive basketball career, can work through these kinks and flourish in the half-court as the season progresses.

Transition Offense

Queen ranks in the 95th percentile as a transition scorer by converting at a clip of 1.52 PPP. He shows controlled aggression, hustles down the floor, and puts consistent pressure on defenses. Queen's basketball IQ and instincts are made evident via timely, unselfish passes to lane-filling teammates in the open court.

Queen also does a great job of quickly turning defense into offense. He's is a long, rangy defender who has a knack for creating turnovers, snagging rebounds, and quickly pushing the pace for easy, efficient scoring opportunities. He’s both comfortable as a grab-and-go break initiator with the ball in his hands, or as a leaking lane-filler that understands where to be and when in odd-man-break scenarios.

In the clip below, we highlight Queen's transition game.

PBC Projection

Trevelin Queen’s versatility and high-level feel for the game make him a fascinating 2020 NBA Draft prospect. The out-of-nowhere prospect may be on the older side as a potential draftee, but seems to still have some untapped potential waiting to be unleashed. He's raw in some regards and would certainly benefit from some professional-level coaching to refine his natural skill set, but there's some low-hanging fruit from a player development perspective that give him some appeal as a worthwhile draft flier.

A virtual unknown prior to arriving at New Mexico State, Queen's name has quickly gained buzz amongst NBA talent evaluators. With a strong showing over the remainder of the 2019-20 season, Queen could very well find himself solidly in the draft mix. Queen projects as a mid-to-late 2nd Round selection that may make sense to ink to a Two-Way contract with a significant portion of his time spent in the G League as a development initiative.

Derek and his wife Katherine reside in Oklahoma City where Derek works as an Account Manager for the Thunder, managing 400+ season ticket clients. Derek entered the world of talent evaluation in 2017, has scouted multiple Summer Leagues & Portsmouth Invitationals, and has written for FanSided & NetScouts Basketball. Derek also contributes as a Video Scout at Babcock Hoops and runs his own NBA Draft website, The Blueprint NBA. Originally from Cleveland, TN, Derek Graduated from Lee University with a degree in Business Administration. Derek and Katherine give all glory to God and are grateful to everyone who has helped them along the way.
Follow Derek on Twitter @dmurrayNBA.

​Jon Chepkevich serves as the Director of Scouting for the Professional Basketball Combine. In his role at Stats Perform, Jon develops commercial strategy, performs financial analysis, develops NBA minutes projections, and works with the basketball data group to enhance the Stats Perform NBA Draft model. When he isn’t in the office, Jon enjoys Chicago’s competitive pick-up hoops scene, dissecting NBA draft prospects as a credentialed scout, and spending time with his wife, Andrea, and dog, Ruthie.
Follow Jon on Twitter @JonChep.