Getty Jarrett Culver of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts after his teams loss to the Virginia Cavaliers in the NCAA Tournament Championship.
Jarrett Culver’s exceptional play during the NCAA tournament propelled him to the top of most NBA mock drafts. While his stock has cooled off a little since his scalding tournament run, Culver still remains one of the top shooting guards in the draft and could find himself falling to the Los Angeles Lakers, who are likely to pick at either 11 or 12.
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Lakers 2019 NBA Mock Drafts: Jarrett Culver Sits Near Top of Wish List
Standing 6’6″ with solid length, Culver has the physical profile to slot in perfectly as a two guard in the NBA. He showed his ability to handle the rock at Texas Tech and should offer a bit of lineup versatility, or at the very least help shoulder some of the playmaking load on offense. A talented multi-level scorer, there is a very good chance Culver’s shooting percentage numbers actually go up when he gets to the NBA.
Playing in a stagnant offensive scheme at Texas Tech, Culver was relied on heavily to create baskets for himself and often found himself taking contested two or three-pointers. While he still shot the ball effectively from all over the floor, he should see a bump in open looks. Considering he shouldn’t be the primary option right off the bat and should be sharing the floor with other scorers, Culver may wind up being a much more efficient player than his college numbers suggest.
As far as his standing in the latest mock drafts, our own has him going off the board 6th to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Most other mocks have him in a similar range, mostly going in the top 10 overall across the board.
How Would Jarrett Culver Fit on the Lakers?
Jarrett Culver would be an ideal fit on the Los Angeles Lakers. As I’ve said in nearly every single article I’ve put together on the Lakers recently, outside shooting is by far this team’s biggest need. Culver could slot in nicely as a two-way guard to pair with Lonzo Ball in the backcourt that would hopefully be able to see an uptick in three-point percentage once he isn’t forced to take defenders off the dribble from behind the arc on a regular basis.
For what it might be worth, his free throw percentage at Texas Tech was 70%, and while not spectacular, at least shows that there could be a bit of room for improvement from behind the arc. If Culver’s shot translates, he could become a very dangerous weapon for the Lakers if used in a spot up role on the perimeter. With tons of open looks coming his way courtesy of LeBron James and Lonzo Ball, Culver has the ability to put the ball on the deck and make a play or spot up and drill the shot.
However, it might be a stretch to expect Culver to fall to the Lakers, barring a draft gods miracle. Expected to go off the board just a few picks ahead of the Lakers, they would most likely need to move up in order to make sure they could secure the talented guard. That seems unlikely and unfortunately, the Lakers’ chances of landing what could be a great fit might be too.