Chicago Bulls: Making the case for Jarrett Culver at No. 7

The Chicago Bulls might be in need of a point guard, but this player might be too good to pass up at No. 7.

Although the Chicago Bulls have an apparent need at point guard, there is a decent chance they do not select one when they make their first selection of the 2019 NBA Draft. As we alluded to earlier this week, there are a number of stories linking the Bulls to free agent point guards as well as some via trade.

Specifically, I’m referring to the potential interest in Patrick Beverley, and rumored trade talks involving Lonzo Ball and Chris Paul. While they may certainly just be doing their due diligence, you have to think the chances of either Darius Garland or Coby White being available at No. 7 are pretty decent. The fact that they are exploring so many point guards via other avenues could be interpreted to mean that they either believe the one they like won’t be there at No. 7 or they don’t really care for either.

If it’s the latter, then they may have their eye on another player at No. 7, and if so, there are a number of reasons it should be Jarrett Culver out of Texas Tech University. Now, this all assumes Culver, the 6-foot-6, 195-pound shooting guard is still available at No. 7 which is by no means guaranteed. That’s because of the 20-year old’s already polished skillset.

While averaging 18.5 points per game last season at TTU, Culver led his team to the NCAA Championship game before falling to the University of Virginia. He filled up the stat sheet, adding 6.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.4 steals to his season averages.

He has a strong ability to get to the rim where he finished at 59 percent last season. The Bulls could use another strong finisher at the rim to complement Zach LaVine. He’s also terrific in the pick and roll game, with 35 percent of his combined scoring and assists possessions coming in that setting.

One downside to Culver’s game is that he isn’t the best shooter, coming in at around 30 percent last season on three-point attempts. The good news is with the shooting ability of Lauri Markkanen and the improved shooting of Zach LaVine last season, they won’t need him to be a lights out shooter which will give him time to work on that aspect of his game. However, the role in which they will need him right away is the pick and roll game — which he is ideally suited for.

For those reasons, it might make sense for the Bulls to get their point guard through free agency or via a trade, and acquire another scorer through the draft that can have an immediate impact on the team, and who fits the style of offense Jim Boylen seems to want to run.