#2 — Jarrett Culver, Sophomore, Texas Tech
Beyond Zion, there is a vast array of choices the Atlanta Hawks could make. Just to reiterate: Under no circumstances should the Hawks even think about anyone else other than Zion if they were to miraculously land the #1 overall pick.
If they don’t pick #1, the real work for GM Schlenk and the Atlanta Hawks brass begins. To this writer, the next-best player for the Atlanta Hawks to select would be Jarrett Culver out of Texas Tech.
Culver is listed at 6-foot-5, but just looking at him, it seems that that might be a rather conservative estimate. At only 20 years old, Culver has recently been estimated between 6-foot-6 as well as 6-foot-8, but again, just glancing at his imposing, ripped frame makes it seem as if he is much larger than that height suggests.
His imposing 7-foot-1 wingspan and extremely broad shoulders also add to that size.
Culver has been a two-way dynamo so far in the 2019 NCAA Tournament, so much so that his Texas Tech Red Raiders defeated Gonzaga, a team that was widely regarded as the best in college basketball, on the way to the university’s first Final Four trip in school history.
Much of the team’s success has rested on Culver’s sculpted shoulders. On defense, Culver’s size, foot speed and length disrupted every position 1 through 4, and there is even the idea that he could guard 5’s in small-ball iterations. His defensive prowess was underscored by leading the entire country this year in defensive win shares at 3.4, according to Basketball Reference.
If he were to be drafted by the Atlanta Hawks, he wouldn’t have to create as much on offense but would still be available for easy Trae Young passes, and his perimeter defense could anchor the team for years to come.
After Zion, Culver is the next-best option for the Atlanta Hawks in this entire draft class.