2019 NBA Mock Draft: Full first round as lottery nears

Age: 20
Height, Weight: 6-foot-6, 200 pounds
Slash Line: .461/.304/.707
Season Averages: 18.5 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 1.3 3PM

The Chicago Bulls have intriguing pieces in place. Wendell Carter Jr., Lauri Markkanen, Zach LaVine and Otto Porter make for a solid group to open the 2019-20 season, but they don’t have a definitive point guard to pass them the ball. Kris Dunn flashed at times, but he’s not the future.

Unfortunately for the Bulls, Morant is off the board and Darius Garland is a reach at four. Coby White might be, too. Either way, the “best player available” strategy can’t hurt, and Jarrett Culver holds steady here.

With defensive issues throughout a down season, Culver adds a two-way threat in the backcourt to shut down opposing guards and forwards. At 6-foot-5, he is versatile enough to move around the lineup and work with LaVine and Porter, while Carter and Markkanen handle the frontcourt.

Culver is a long, athletic player to stick in the rotation, and the defensive prowess should translate. Offense is another story, as he carried Texas Tech’s load, but saw a steep decline in three-point shooting and made just 1.3 of them per game.

If Culver proves this was an anomaly, he could become a terrific player at both ends of the court, especially fitting into a team with good quality scorers as is.

The New York Knicks can use Culver off their defensively-questionable point guards if they fall to third or below, which he should remain available at.