The Minnesota Timberwolves have turned their franchise around in recent years, which has largely been paired with good draft picks. However, the 2019 draft, when the Wolves selected Texas Tech's Jarrett Culver with the No. 6 pick, is a "sliding doors" moment for the franchise. Of course, this pick didn't pan out for the Wolves, but what makes this pick more unfortunate and still worth thinking about is that Coby White was drafted by the Chicago Bulls just one spot after Culver.
Currently, the Timberwolves have a point guard dilemma, and White's skill set would have made him a perfect fit for Minnesota. While the Wolves are still in a great spot overall, it's hard not to think about what it would have looked like if Minnesota had drafted White over Culver.
Culver never panned out in the NBA
Coming into the draft, Culver was viewed as a gifted isolation scorer with solid positional size at 6-foot-6. Culver raised his draft stock with a surprise run to the national championship with Texas Tech. Unfortunately, Culver's scoring didn't translate to the NBA. This, paired with poor playmaking, defense, and shooting, resulted in a short career for Culver.
Culver averaged 6.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists on 40.1/27.6/50.9 shooting splits during his four-year NBA career. He spent just two years with the Wolves before being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. Culver played a total of 47 games with the Grizzlies and Atlanta Hawks. Notably, he hasn't played in an NBA game since 2022.
It's unfortunate to see a player not pan out to this degree. However, it's undoubtedly hard not to think what if the Wolves went in a different direction back in 2019, specifically, White.
White would have been an ideal fit with the Wolves
While the Wolves' roster was completely different in 2019, their point guard problems aren't new, so drafting White would have been prudent. At the time, the Wolves' point guards were Derrick Rose (who left in free agency a week later), Jeff Teague (who was traded mid-way through the season), and a young Tyus Jones. The Wolves traded for D'Angelo Russell at the 2020 trade deadline so it's clear they were looking for a point guard.
Of course, Russell proved not to be the Wolves' long-term answer at point guard, and they traded for Mike Conley in 2023. Now, they have a 38-year-old Conley and a 20-year-old Rob Dillingham, who is extremely talented yet unproven as their point guards. As a 6-foot-5 guard with blazing speed and three-level scoring, White would be a perfect fit for the Wolves backcourt next to Anthony Edwards. White is also a solid playmaker who can play on or off the ball.
While White's career got off to somewhat of a slow start, he was always a solid rotational player. Additionally, the UNC product hit his stride during his fifth season and maintained that success last season. White averaged 20.4 points, 4.5 assists, and 3.7 rebounds, on 45.3/37/90.2 shooting splits last season. The Wolves could use another guard with shot creation and playmaking chops, making White a perfect fit.
Overall, the Wolves are still in a great spot and have a chance to compete for a title this season. While drafting Culver, didn't end up setting the Wolves back a ton, picking White instead would have certainly benefited them. As White has ascended, the Wolves' Culver pick continues to look worse.