NBA Daily: Passion And Competitive Spirit Define Jarrett Culver

Jarrett Culver is entering the 2019 NBA Draft with two years of college experience under his belt. His two years with the Texas Tech Red Raiders gives us a pretty good idea of the type of NBA player he is capable of becoming.

His freshman season saw him as more of a complementary player. He had a strong outing from the three-point line knocking down shots at 38.2 percent. He was also called upon to provide a strong presence defensively.

Things changed moving into his sophomore season. He was essentially the number one option, so while his scoring improved significantly, there was a slight dip in his shooting percentages. His defense was still a high-point, and he finished the season as the Big 12 Player of the Year. He led the Red Raiders all the way to the NCAA Championship game where they lost in overtime to Virginia.

He struggled in both Final Four matches, mainly due to the fact that he was keyed on so heavily by the opposing defenses. Regardless, he brings a robust skillset to the NBA, which should allow him to find the court quickly with whichever lottery team selects him.

Basketball Insiders had the chance to catch up with Culver at the 2019 NBA Combine.

Culver dove into how his outside shooting will help him in the league.

“You spread out the floor when you’re able to shoot,” Culver said. “I’m working on it a lot. Right now I’m putting a lot of shots up [you know], repetition.”

While his three-point shooting took a slight dip his sophomore season, it was likely due to the fact that he was shooting much more off-dribble. His freshman season, where he played a more secondary role, he had a lot more open looks that were catch-and-shoot. That, in essence, paints a picture of the type of NBA career he’s capable of having.

Chris Beard, Culver’s college coach at Texas Tech, has mentioned that he is addicted to basketball.

“My love and passion for the game, its something I’ve always wanted to be better at,” said Culver, expanding on what Beard meant. “And its something I can continue to get better at. I don’t see it as a job, I see it as something I love – to go out and play basketball.”

There’s no doubting Culver’s passion. Not many college players have the opportunity to go on a deep NCAA tournament run similar to his, and every game you could see his desire to win.

When asked what he could bring to the table right away, Culver had this to say: “Right away I feel like defense. I take pride in defense and that’s something I want to do. People don’t realize how competitive I am.”

Culver discussed how watching Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan at a young age helped him realize the type of mentality he needed when playing basketball. Competition is a big part of his game, and he wants that to translate to the NBA.

His defense is certainly something that can be impactful right away, but downplaying his offensive skills would be foolish. While his three-point percentage dropped roughly eight percent on similar attempts, he was still able to increase his overall field goal percentage by roughly one percent from freshman to sophomore season. That is very impressive considering the load that was placed on his shoulders to generate buckets.

And generate buckets he did. Culver averaged 18.5 points his sophomore season and dished out an additional 3.7 assists per game.

Standing at 6-foot-6 with a wingspan of 6-foot-9, Culver plans to assist whatever team drafts him. He was asked about the prospect of going to Chicago, Phoenix or the New York Knicks and had nothing but positive things to say about all the franchises. He mentioned on multiple occasions that he felt like he’d mesh well with younger players. Obviously, that would make sense – Culver is only 20 years old himself.

Overall, Culver came off as a humble young man who would feel blessed to be selected by any team,  and even more blessed that he will likely end up high in the lottery. He is in a great state mentally,  which should bode incredibly well seeing as the transition to a full-time basketball professional could absolutely take a toll on one’s mind.

Mindset is more than half the game, so combined with his physical gifts, whichever team takes a chance on Jarrett Culver should more than likely come out as a winner.