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 next three players start to become more realistic targets for the New York Knicks at No. 3, starting with Jarrett Culver, one of the 2019 NCAA Tournament’s stars. His stock ascended with a triple-double and helping Texas Tech to the National Championship Game.
Now, Culver will try his luck in the NBA Draft, which he should land in the top 10 of.
The New York Knicks are a fit for Culver whether or not they land the top free agents. If anything, he slides in well between Durant and Irving, neither of whom play that prototypical shooting guard role.
The Red Raiders product arguably did not play like a shooting guard, given his subpar three-point mark as a sophomore, but it could have been an anomaly, after 38.2 percent in 2017-18. A smaller role in the NBA may improve those numbers, especially with less pressure playing off two superstars.
Culver’s two-way ability can impact a defensively-negative backcourt. Irving is not a dynamic defender. Neither is Smith Jr. or Walker. Allonzo Trier is more known for his isolation play. The only apt player at this end, Frank Ntilikina, might not stick through the draft. That leaves a gaping hole for a player capable of making an impact at both ends of the floor.