Anyone think he might be better than Barrett/should be drafted ahead of him? I only learned of him this year and strictly from eye test, I like him too.
I know he's top ten talk, but haven't heard anyone suggest him before Barrett.
They have similar games, no?

Because there are people who think he's still growing (despite being 20 already) and that he'll potentially hit 6'10. If you think that? I think there's an argument to take him above Morant and Barrett on upside, yeah.

He's obviously older than Barrett-- who's supposed to be a HS senior this year. He isn't as strong as Barrett, isn't quite as athletic as Barrett. Culver is probably the better ball handler (though both need improvement here) and probably the better shooter (though both need improvement here). Barrett is, imo, higher motor, one of the highest motor prospects in the draft-- if he wasn't on a team with Zion, the highest motor high-level prospect that maybe we've ever seen, more people would talk about this. I'd guess Culver is the better defender, though TT runs such a system defense that it's hard to tell (Barrett is also underrated as a defender because he shares the court with three of the best defenders in the draft).

This runs the risk of being reductive, but Barrett is also just a goddamn winner. I'm not even talking about Duke right now. I mean, I can point you to that U-19 game in which he and a bunch of dudes beat a USA team packed with All-American candidates and future NBA players. Led them to the gold. And routinely this season, when Duke needs a big basket, he's the guy. People give him a hard time for dribbling into traffic in the Gonzaga game and occasionally taking 3s too quickly into the shot clock, but he's hit so many big shots that you've got to take the ones that don't fall imo. I'd rather have the guy who *loves* the big moment and occasionally fucks up than the guy who shies away from it. He was the USA Today National Player of the Year *over Zion* because he does everything.

If you think Culver is what he is height-wise-- maybe around 6'8-- then I think he's a Khris Middleton kind of dude. ASG potential, especially in today's game. If you think he gets to 6'10, that obviously makes his upside even higher, and he becomes a guy you can build around. So he's an easy Top 5 pick imo.

But Barrett? Barrett's the type of guy I can see becoming the next Tracy McGrady. Just never stops, always aggressive, always playmaking. He'll bump his shooting percentages up a bit, tighten that handle, and make multiple All-Star teams. I think you build around him right away.

My draft order today:
1. Zion
2. RJ
3. Ja
4. Hunter
5. Culver

If you think Culver will hit 6'10, I could argue taking him as high as second... though that feels a touch gamble-y.

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where I have #2, #5, & #9... so I’m gonna have to do some research.

I’m just now coming around on I might go get Ja over RJ & I’m a big RJ guy.

I’m a homer though. I can see myself walking away with Ja/RJ, Keldon, & PJ

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I'd go:
FG%: Barrett
FT%: Morant
3P%: wash
PTS: Barrett
REB: Barrett
AST: Morant
STL: Morant
BLK: Morant
TO: Barrett (as in Morant will turn it over more)

I could nitpick both. It all depends on your scoring system tbh.

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It's probably gonna depend on who goes where.

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I've only seen Culver a few minutes, a few games so I know nothing about his motor/mentality. His game just looked smooth to me. It's funny you brought up his height cuz I saw the game today and I thought this dude look like he might not be finished growing.

Now I've seen Barrett a lot and he just has the knack for getting the ball up and in around the goal. Though to me he doesn't seem super athletic so I wonder can he get those same type of points against pro length. I'm not convinced that he can't and maybe you/others don't think he's super athletic either; but athletic enough for the next level to get those close in buckets consistently.
I agree dude is a winner, go getter.

Thanks.

At least not another 2 when we have LaVine.

Like a few other people I haven't watched much of his game,
but I'd like to see them take him if we stay at #4.
Especially if he's still growing.

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I don't see him being a star in the NBA he should stick because he's a long, skilled athlete but definitely not a franchise player. The GM that takes him in the top 7 where he's projected will probably be fired.

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I think the assumption is that Culver being older he should be more of a finished product. But I think he is still developing from a skill standpoint as well as a physical one, whereas Barrett, a freshman, has plenty of polish and maturity.

Let's also not fall into the trap of overrating big tournaments (NCAAs, World Juniors, Bowl Games, etc). Look at the whole body of work for both guys.

To me, Barrett is the kind of guy you win with, well-rounded and a gamer. He was also in Zion's shadow a bit. Culver was the main man on his team offensively. As such he didn't hold TT back but he didn't exactly power them forward either. He has a lot of tools though, very good size/length for a wing player, good feet, can put it on the deck to get shots up or drive, etc. I think he could be like a poor man's Joe Johnson in the league. Barrett, it's hard to say how big of a star he'll be but I think he could be a glue guy in a Battier/Iggy type role, and that's a valuable player.

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I mean he has a nice all-around game but is there any one thing he's really dominant at? Outside of Hunter and maybe the Sisqo looking dude Virginia didn't rally have a lot of long athletes, I feel like if Culver were a legit lotto pick he would've been able to impose his will more than he did. He's a good athlete, not a great athlete, so to really excel at the next he's going to have to be very good at something and I'm not sure what that is.

He's super quick and athletic. And his defense is exceptional.

If you watched just their last two games, you won't get a clear picture of his skill, especially against UVA in the championship.

It looked like UVA (an already elite defense) was pretty much doubling him whenever he touched the ball. They would constantly roll someone over to help when he got the ball on the perimeter. So he was forced to take jump shots, which he is pretty inconsistent with.

In games earlier in the season, it often seemed like he could drive to the rim at will. He would just beat defenders with his quickness and size.

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>Culver was
>the main man on his team offensively. As such he didn't hold
>TT back but he didn't exactly power them forward either.

They were, in 2017/2018, the 50th ranked offense. They lost two guys to the pros and their starting center. They're picked preseason to be *seventh* in the Big 12 in 2018/2019.

Then, they give Culver a Top 25 usage rate in the country, and their offense *improves* from 50th to 25th. Their team's talent pool diminished and the offense got better. I think that's a huge testament to Culver's improved finishing inside, ability to draw fouls, assist rate, etc.

But yeah, as noted above, I think it's all about whether you think Culver is gonna keep growing. If a team thinks he'll hit 6'10, then they'll reach hard for him. Otherwise he's probably a guy you take somewhere between 5 and 7.

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