Should OKC Thunder try to move up to nab the intriguing Jarrett Culver?

Awards and Honors:

All awards for the 2018-19 season. Culver was on several lists as a finalist, here is a sampling of the awards he earned the full list can be found here.

• All-Big 12 – 1st Team
• Big 12 Player of the Year
• Consensus All-America – 2nd Team
• NCAA All-Tournament
• NCAA Tournament All-Region

Pro Comparison:

Kevin O’Connor: Khris Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon, Jeremy Lamb

Current Ranking:

• The Ringer: 5th
• NBA DraftNet: 7th
• FanSided Busting Brackets: 5th
• FanSided The Step Back: 3rd
• ESPN (Note: from the paid portion of site ESPN+): 6th
• CBS Sports: 7th
• NBA.com: 7th
• Sports Illustrated: 3rd
• Bleacher Report: 4th
• Basketball Insiders: 6th
• NBC: 4th

Fit with OKC

The one thing we can say about Culver with total certainty is that there’s almost no chance he’s going to be bad. Lanky wings who can play good team defense, keep the ball moving on offense, and hit spot-up three’s are always going to have a place in this league.

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The question, then, is really about how good he’s going to be. Given the fact that his floor is already so high and his weaknesses are, for the most part, fixable, he has a good shot as anyone else in this draft at developing into a truly impactful player who can affect the game in a variety of ways.

And if I’m Sam Presti, that’s a risk worth taking. Look, I’ll be the first to admit that Culver isn’t one of my favorite prospects in this draft and that I do have some serious qualms about taking him so high, but this is a risk that the Thunder absolutely have to take if they get the opportunity.

Unlike some of the other players projected in this range, it’s fairly obvious that he’s going to be a solid player at the bare minimum with tangible potential to be a lot more.

The Thunder’s development staff has consistently been one of the most underrated in the league and their track record these last few years has been pristine. For an OKC Thunder team that needs all the help, it can get but has no cap space to do it via traditional routes, maybe taking a chance on a player like Culver is worth it.

At the very least he gives them something they haven’t had in years: a playmaking wing who can work off the ball and fit right into the defensive system.

That’s already valuable in and of itself, never mind the fact that he could really start moving the needle for them if he shores up some of his weaknesses.