Texas Tech Basketball: NBA Draft profile on wing initiator Jarrett Culver

Draft Stock: High-lottery

If NBA teams selecting at the top of the 2019 NBA Draft are mesmerized by the potential that RJ Barrett possesses as a prospective wing initiator with strength and fluidity and a nice passing acumen, then why are they seemingly ignoring Jarrett Culver?

If both players are projected to play a similar role in the NBA (perhaps Culver to a lesser extent, given the draft range and responsibility that’s likely to be bestowed on Barrett by the Knicks), then why are teams shorting Culver, who was better at every single aspect of the game than Barrett?

Both players had a 32.2 usage rate, yet Culver’s efficiency in terms of scoring (.542 TS% versus .532) and playmaking (slightly higher assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.38 to 1.33)? Let’s throw in Player Efficiency Rating, Box Plus-Minus, Win Shares, rebounding rate, assist rate, steal rate, and block rate too, while we’re at it — Culver was better in those departments as well.
Jarrett Culver was literally better than RJ Barrett, even if marginally (granted, his defense and willingness to pass were significantly better), but he’s not considered a coveted prospect in the draft, slotting in anywhere from No. 4 to No. 8 in mock drafts in what some are dubbing a “three-player draft.” Odd how the supposed third player isn’t as good as the player who is set to get picked after him.

This isn’t meant as a slight against Barrett, although it’s certainly worded in a negative tone — he’s skilled and talented and is worthy of the top-five selection that he’ll be picked with on Thursday night. This is just to serve as a comparison of their two games and skill sets, how one is receiving notably more hype than the other.

Culver is a bit older than Barrett by about 16 months, but nonetheless, a school-year in age difference isn’t a wild gap, and his skill level — and, more importantly, his mental makeup and cognitive ability to apply his skills with great success within a team construct — far outweighs that of the younger Barrett.

If I were a team with a top selection in the 2019 NBA Draft, I’d gladly take Texas Tech’s Jarrett Culver without losing a wink of sleep. He may just be the second-best player in the draft class, a case that I certainly would consider to be a pretty strong one.

Getting a legitimate two-way wing-initiator with All-Defense upside with a lottery pick is innately valuable — and if he’s still there at picks No. 5, 6, 7, or even 8, those teams should be pretty dang excited.