After leading Texas Tech to the NCAA National Championship game, Jarrett Culver became one of this year’s top prospects. Now, he’s a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Minnesota Timberwolves new front office started out the 2019 NBA Draft by trading up five spots and selecting Jarrett Culver from Texas Tech.
Culver had a great sophomore season and carried the Red Raiders to the national championship. While he isn’t the flashiest player, Culver is a well-rounded wing who will make an impact from Day One.
Given the players already on the roster, the Timberwolves likely didn’t get an immediate starter, but they did greatly improve their wing depth. His length and basketball IQ are evident and put to good use.
Here are the top three things that you can expect to see from Jarrett Culver in his rookie season.
Defense
Culver is one of the best defenders in this draft. At 6-foot-7 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, Culver can guard nearly every position on the floor. His length obviously helps, but his IQ and instincts take him to the next level. These intangibles allow Culver to cutoff quicker guards and his physical tools let him contain bigger opponents.
Last season, Culver allowed a measly .669 points per possession (93rd percentile), per Synergy. There wasn’t a single area that Culver struggled with defensively. When Culver was guarding spot-up shooters, he held them to just .68 points per possession (90th percentile) and when opponents tried to run him through the pick-and-roll he allowed only .558 points per possession (86th percentile).
It didn’t matter the situation or the opponent. If Culver was guarding them, they were going to struggle to score because of Culver’s anticipation and basketball IQ. These intangibles are traits that not only frustrate college opponents but also translate to the NBA.
By pairing Culver with Josh Okogie and/or Robert Covington, the Timberwolves will have a stout defense that will be able to consistently switch. It doesn’t matter if Culver is shutting down the ball-handler or denying off-ball shooters, he will make an impact.
Driving Ability
Culver was an inconsistent shooter, but he really excelled when he attacked the rim. When Culver drove to his right, he was nearly unstoppable as he scored 1.476 points per possession (90th percentile).
He isn’t an elite dribbler, but this didn’t hinder him much in college. He does a great job of using his body to create space and uses his length to avoid shot blockers. Once Culver gets to the rim he uses great touch to spin the ball off the glass. In all shot attempts around the rim, he scored 1.204 points per possession (66th percentile).
Most of Culver’s drives came out of isolation situations. While he’s an impressive scorer when he drives, he’s an even better passer. When Culver passed out of isolation drives, Texas Tech scored 1.455 points per possession (90th percentile).
Even more impressive is Culver’s ability to find cutters. Texas Tech scored an obscene 1.909 points per possession (100th percentile) when Culver passed out of isolation drives to a cutter. This is encouraging as the Timberwolves have some very good cutting wings in Robert Covington, Andrew Wiggins, and Josh Okogie.
Don’t be surprised if Culver takes over some of the playmaking responsibilities and creates opportunities off of his drives.
Shooting Struggles
Culver projects as a 3-and-D wing but there are some concerns over his shooting. He is still refining his shooting form as he has a slow release and his shooting arm goes straight up, affecting the arc of his shot.
Culver struggled across the board shooting this year, although he shot the ball better as a freshman from beyond the arc than he did as a sophomore (38.2 percent from 3-point range compared to 30.4 percent last year).
Culver scored only .908 points per possession in catch and shoot situations (34th percentile) and only .779 points per possession when shooting off the dribble (50th percentile).
The Timberwolves were one of the worst shooting teams in the league last season, scoring only .95 points per possession on all jump shots (24th). As the NBA continues to move farther away from the rim, shooting is an absolute must if teams want to compete. Culver has the potential to develop into a reliable shooter, but expectations should be low at the start.
But beyond that, there aren’t any obvious weaknesses to look out for right away. The Wolves appear to have gotten a good one in Jarrett Culver.