Getty Jarrett Culver of the Texas Tech Red Raiders
While the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery wound up throwing a number of curveballs, one team who walked away extremely happy was the New Orleans Pelicans, who earned the No. 1 overall pick. While they’re fully expected to select Duke Blue Devils forward Zion Williamson, a number of other prospects stand out for the other lottery teams. One of which is former Texas Tech guard Jarrett Culver, who’s a likely top-10 lock.
Culver, who thrived during the Red Raiders’ NCAA tournament run, is bound to land somewhere in the three-to-eight range, depending on specific team needs. As things stand, it’s likely that the Pelicans will take Williamson, Memphis Grizzlies will select Murray State guard Ja Morant and New York Knicks should go with Duke’s RJ Barrett.
But from there, it’s anyone’s guess, and we’re going to take a look at Culver and the most likely landing spots for the talented guard.
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Jarrett Culver Top NBA Draft Projected Teams: Lakers
Starting with the team who has the highest pick that could potentially select Culver, the Los Angeles Lakers make a lot of sense. They need a player who can find the bottom of the hoop and will likely look at adding a shooting guard this offseason. Pairing the Texas Tech guard up with LeBron James and company just makes a lot of sense.
While the No. 4 pick may be slightly high in the eyes of some, Culver provides the upside to do a bit of everything and is a strong defender as well. He averaged 18.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals during the 2018-19 season. The Lakers opting to go with Culver would be a great move, assuming they don’t trade the pick in a push for Anthony Davis.
Jarrett Culver’s Fit With Cleveland Cavaliers
If the Lakers opt to go a different direction with the No. 4 pick and leave Culver on the board, it’ll be the Cleveland Cavaliers who benefit the most at No. 5. With Kevin Love, Larry Nance and Tristan Thompson back to hold down the fort inside, the Cavs could look at the guard position with their early selection.
After adding Collin Sexton with the No. 8 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, shifting over to the other guard spot with Culver would make sense. Most importantly, Culver would add an immediate scoring spark that could help to make the life of Cleveland’s bigs a whole lot easier.
While the Cavaliers will have Jordan Clarkson and Brandon Knight back next season, barring something changing, they’ll be thin at shooting guard beyond those two. The team is expected to part with J.R. Smith at some point, and Culver would be in a prime spot to step in as the go-to scorer on the second unit.
Jarrett Culver & Chicago Bulls Make for Solid Pairing
The Chicago Bulls are a team I’d love to see wind up with Culver for a few different reasons. Although Zach LaVine starts at shooting guard and Otto Porter is their small forward, Culver would see big minute with the second unit and immediately become a primary scorer off the bench.
Arguably the biggest asset Culver brings to the table is his consistency and the fact that he takes smart shots. The 6-foot-5 guard shot 52.6 percent from inside the arc last season and 46.1 percent from the field. His 3-point shooting (30.4 percent) dropped from the previous season when he knocked down 38.2 percent, but he’s shown the ability to hit outside shots.
The only issue for the Bulls? They hold the No. 7 pick, which comes in behind both the Lakers and Cavaliers.
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Jarrett Culver NBA Draft Projection: Bulls Among Likely Landing Spots