Getty Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Jarrett Culver
Heading into the NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers have their eye on former Texas Tech star Jarrett Culver, a consensus top ten lottery pick. Known mainly for his defense and athleticism, the biggest knock on Culver so far has been his lack of consistency shooting the deep ball. Especially at the next level, Culver’s ability to stretch the floor and be a viable kick out option beyond the arc will be what ends up getting him steady minutes.
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Lakers NBA Draft Target: Jarrett Culver Rains Three-Pointers At Workout
Jarrett Culver shooting it really well off the catch in a gym packed full of NBA scouts and high level executives.
It is clear from this video that Culver has made some major adjustments to his shot in the weeks following the national championship game. While part of the reason Culver struggled from deep was the fact that he was often stuck taking mediocre looks from three in Tech’s defense-first system, it is clear he is making an effort to be more consistent with his form. Compared to how Culver shot the ball in the season, you can see he has cut down on how far back he loads up the ball, allowing him to get the shot off quicker with a more repeatable motion.
At least for this workout, those adjustments paid huge dividends as Culver caught fire from behind the arc and put on an absolute clinic. Hitting shots in the gym is one thing, having them translate to the court in a game is an entirely different beast. However, at the very least we know that Culver’s shot could be MUCH better than advertised.
How Does Jarrett Culver Fit on the Los Angeles Lakers?
If Culver winds up being an excellent three-point shooter from the jump, he would be a near-perfect fit for the Lakers. The Lakers need defense and three-point shooting and Culver is already an excellent defender who can contribute positive minutes on that side of the ball immediately. His three-point shooting was shaky at Tech (though not entirely his own fault) but as his workout shows, he has the potential to be a sniper from deep.
Culver will likely never turn into the “3 and D” shooting guard that NBA executives want him to be and that is okay. Culver can certainly provide an excellent three-point shot and lockdown defense but brings much more to the table in terms of his style of play. Able to create off the dribble and quarterback the fast break, Culver could be a longterm solution to help initially play off LeBron before slowly assuming his playmaking duties as time goes on.
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