NBA Draft: Did Jarrett Culver play his way out of a top 5 pick?

Texas Tech star Jarrett Culver struggles during the Final Four may have cost him a top 5 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft

Texas Tech standout Jarrett Culver is ranked in the top 5 of many NBA mock drafts because he has the size and athleticism to be a good NBA player, but his recent struggle in the Final Four may keep him from being drafted in the top 5 of this year’s NBA Draft.

Culver, who was named the Big 12 Player of the Year and made several All-American teams, struggled in the Final Four. Against Michigan State, he played just okay. For most of the game, he could not buy a basket, but made several big shots including a huge 3-point basket to help seal the game. He finished the game with a very unimpressive 10 points, five rebounds and two assists.

Monday night, in the National Championship Game, Culver once again could not buy a basket in the first half despite being the best player on the floor. In the biggest game of his career, Culver was 0 for 6 from the field with 0 points, one rebound and two assists at halftime, which is unheard-of for a Top 5 draft pick.

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He did show us a flash of what he could do in the first half by driving through traffic and barely missing a monsterous two-handed power dunk; the kind of in your face dunk we regularly see in the NBA.

In the second half, Culver made several nice baskets and several NBA level passes to keep the Red Raiders in the game against Virginia, but NBA scouts likely wanted to see him take over the game. Something Culver failed to do.

The best play Culver made in the game was when he did an amazing spin move to the basket then finished with his left hand to give the Red Raiders a one-point lead over Virginia with 35.1 seconds remaining before they eventually lost the game in overtime.

Culver finished the game with 15 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals on 5 for 22 shooting from the field. He may have been the best NBA prospect on the court, but last night he was not even one of the two best players on his team.

Every player goes through slumps, but Culver slump was on the national stage in the biggest game in the history of the school. And for most of the game, Culver was a no-show; just like he was a no-show for most of the Michigan State game.

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I will admit that he reminds me of the Atlanta Hawks NBA Hall of Fame player Dominique Wilkins and could be an All-Star player playing in the league where he would benefit from better spacing and constant pick and rolls, but his performance in the Final Four may be the start of him being drafted out of the top 5.