3 reasons to love Jarrett Culver on the Minnesota Timberwolves
By Jack Borman
2. Defensive Versatility
Jarrett will immediately help alleviate one of Minnesota’s biggest weakness: defense on the wing. In his career under Chris Beard in Lubbock, Culver averaged 1.3 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. This demonstrates that he has the ability to affect the game by jumping into the passing lanes for steals and by deterring shots at the rim, especially when marking smaller matchups.
Culver stands at 6-foot-7, 195 pounds, and has a 6-foot-10 wingspan, which will allow him to eventually check all five positions as he matures and bulks up early on in his career. This versatility will grant Jarrett a ton of playing time in year one because he will be able to play the 3 in small-ball lineups and play the 2 in three-wing lineups that feature superstar C Karl-Anthony Towns.
He will fit seamlessly from a defensive standpoint in lineups with 6-foot-9 Robert Covington and 6-foot-8 Andrew Wiggins, who have 7-foot-2 and 7-foot wingspans, respectively. While on the court together, these three will cause a ton of deflections, and get the Wolves out and running in transition for easy buckets.
Lastly, Jarrett is a very smart off-ball defender. He sees the floor well from the wing, at the top of the key, and down on the block, which allows him to jump and intercept passes better than most prospects his age. Culver’s defensive IQ, frame, wingspan, and lateral agility will give Wolves’ new defensive coordinator David Vanterpool a terrific foundation to build on.