6. Jarrett Culver, Minnesota Timberwolves
After two productive seasons at Texas Tech, Culver’s season ended in the NCAA National Championship where his team lost to Virginia. If you only caught the last two games Culver played in college, you may be confused as to why he was selected this high. However, the Final Four aside, Culver has the ability to become a high-quality two-way player.
Coming into his sophomore season, Culver was able to improve his game enough to be the primary scorer and ball-handler for Tech. While his 3-point shooting saw a decline from 38 percent as a freshman to just 30 percent this past season, Culver was able to increase his scoring average while also increasing his field goal percentage.
Culver isn’t just a talented scorer who can excel when the play isolates his against his opponent. He also offers great defensive potential. He showed the ability to hold his own against his man on the ball and a knack for playing the passing lanes.
His role on the Timberwolves will be more along the lines of his role with Texas Tech as a freshman. Still, he should be able to contribute as a quality player off their bench with the potential to move into the starting lineup.
Stat Projections: 10.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 45% FG, 35% 3PT