Texas Tech basketball: Enjoy Jarrett Culver while you can

Jarrett Culver is a fan favorite among Texas Tech basketball fans but we had better enjoy seeing him in scarlet and black while we can because he is almost certainly headed to the NBA next summer.

The Texas Tech basketball team is set to take on Mississippi Valley St. tonight giving fans another opportunity to watch hometown product Jarrett Culver in action.  But Red Raider fans had better enjoy him while they can because he could be joining Zhaire Smith in the NBA very soon.

Kyle Boone of CBSSports.com released his new 2019 NBA Mock Draft this week and the Red Raiders’ star sophomore checks in at No. 11.  Boone sees Culver being a good fit with the Detroit Pistons.

"“Keenan Evans was the star for Texas Tech last season” he writes.  “And Zhaire Smith was the freshman who wound up building up his stock into lottery status. Jarrett Culver, meanwhile, flew under the radar as a flashy shooting guard who has translatable NBA skills with his defensive prowess and smooth outside stroke. The 6-foot-5 sophomore may soak up a feature role with the Red Raiders this season and work his way into the same territory his former fellow freshman in Zhaire Smith did last season.”"

One of Culver’s teammates from last season, Keenan Evans is also in the Pistons’ organization on a two-way contract with the Grand Rapids Drive of the NBA G League.  Thus far, Evans is averaging 16.7 points in Grand Rapids’ first three contests.

Meanwhile, The USA Today lists Culver as the No. 19 player in the draft class.  That’s not bad for a player rated as just the No. 261 prospect in the nation coming out of Coronado High School.

Likewise, Bleacher Report sees Culver at No.19 in the draft next summer.  In their mock, he lands with the Boston Celtics which is already considered a NBA title contender.

"“The departures of Zhaire Smith and Keenan Evans should open the door for Culver, whose 6’5″ size, 38.2 percent three-ball and defense earned himself a spot on scouting watch lists.” Writes Jonathan Wasserman.  “His draft stock will be tied to the development of his off-the-dribble game. An effective spot-up shooter and line-drive slasher, Culver wasn’t able to showcase much one-on-one or playmaking skill.”More from Wreck'Em RedTexas Tech football: Red Raider fans need to know about these MountaineersTexas Tech football: Red Raiders land first commit for class of 2025Texas Tech football: Why have the Red Raiders struggled on the road under McGuire?Texas Tech football: Why the Red Raiders can compete for a Big 12 titleTexas Tech football: Plenty of questions remain as conference play arrives"

What is so tough for Texas Tech fans is that there appears to be no way for us to eat our cake and have it to (yes, that is the correct use of the old phrase).  This year’s team desperately needs Culver to take his game to the next level.

With Evans and Zhaire Smith gone from last year’s team, Culver must increase his scoring average (11.2 points per game last year) to help fill the 29-point hold created by the loss of its top two scorers from last season.

And Culver will get his opportunity to shine as the focal point of the offense.  In the team’s season-opening win against Incarnate Word Tuesday night, Culver led the team in points with 16 wile attempting a team-high ten shots.

This year, Culver will be the man.  Certainly, players like grad transfer Matt Mooney and returning players like Davide Moretti and Brandone Francis will fill critical offensive roles but when it comes to crunch time, Culver will be the man with the basketball.

If he has the type of success that Texas Tech needs him to have, his NBA stock will only skyrocket like Zhaire Smith’s did last year.  But there could be a bit of a consolation prize for Texas Tech basketball fans.

Being able to point to his work in developing a pair of three-star prospects into NBA lottery picks, head coach Chris Beard will have ample ammunition to use on the recruiting trail.  Certainly, Beard is already seeing the benefits of Zhaire Smith’s success as he continues to have unprecedented success on the recruiting trail.

Prospects like 4-star prospect Jhaimus Ramsey, who committed to the Red Raiders on Thursday, want to play for a coach that can get them to the NBA.  If Culver makes that jump next summer, Beard will be able t show recruits that he has a track record of developing NBA talent.

Still, it is special to see a Lubbock product star at Texas Tech and we want to keep Jarrett Culver to ourselves.  Having a local player become a star has been rare in both the basketball and football programs making Culver arguably the popular athlete on campus (if not him then it has to be Dakota Allen).  But he is likely to move on to bigger and better opportunities in the near future making it critical that we take the time to enjoy him while he still dons the Double-T.