Team: Texas Tech
Year: Sophomore
Heght/Weight: 6’5, 195 lbs.
Strengths:
Jarrett Culver is an athletic swingman who has shown superb potential in his sophomore year at Texas Tech University. He’s a lanky guard with solid ball skills that is not afraid of the moment, coming onto the scene this year having an impressive showing in a loss to Duke at Madison Square Garden.
Culver has the traits of being a professional scorer with his length and versatility. He scores with ease from every level of the floor and has improved his shot making ability in his sophomore season. The Lubbock native has unique length to score on the most athletic and skilled defenders. His first step is not quick but, his second stride is long and makes his driving ability above average.
Culver’s confidence in his shooting ability is exhibited daily, as he’s not afraid to shoot a contested or deep three.
His solid body control with his length and impressive form displays a belief that his shot is going in every time it seems. Scoring a season high, four three pointers on nine attempts, the guard will continue to shoot until he finds his stroke. Being able to have that confidence in yourself to display the upmost confidence in your shooting is key in the NBA.
As a very impressive off-ball player, he is never stagnant in the half-court. It’s impressive at his age to have that sense of awareness to continue to move and find weaknesses in the defense. Culver is listed at 6’5 but it does not seem likely he is that short at all. He definitely looks like he is closer to 6’7 given the way he plays.
Weaknesses:
While Jarrett is an above average defender, he has proven to have troubling lacks of judgement at times on defense. Culver’s defensive ceiling due to his length is very high, but I worry he is merely a solid team defender at this point and that he will not be able to defend consistently in open space at the next level in man to man coverage.
His lack of strength against bigger defenders is another concern. It was understood prior to his freshman year that he had to put on weight. According to Texas Tech’s strength coach John Reilly, Culver has put on 17 pounds since arriving on campus and strives to continue to add more. At the next level, stronger guards like Harden, Jrue Holiday, and Oladipo will take advantage of Culver’s frail frame if he does not continue to bulk up his body.
Culver’s dribbling ability has improved since he stepped onto campus at Lubbock, but he’s still struggling to dribble through traffic. He tends to force the issue when he is not able to find an open teammate. Often, this will lead to a turnover from Culver. Sometimes you just want him to slow it down.
The guard has an impressive scoring ability, but with every tough shot he makes there is a bad shot he forces. He must get smarter about his shot selection as he progresses to the next level.
Future Outlook:
Jarret Culver is a potential lottery pick who can one day become a solid 3&D player with his youth and talent. His upside will be determined by his strength, shot selection, and ball handling ability. He has the ability to become a great wing player at the next level if he continues to improve on those weaknesses. His draft stock will only continue to rise if he continues to show out in those big prime-time games.
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