New mock draft has Jarrett Culver going in the first round to the Lakers

The latest mock from NBADraft.net has Texas Tech wing Jarrett Culver going No. 20 overall to the Los Angeles Lakers.

After a breakout freshman campaign, Culver has evolved as one of the country’s best players and a legitimate candidate for Big 12 Player of the Year. In 13 games, the sophomore is averaging 19.5 points per game to go along with 5.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists while leading Tech to a 12-1 record to start the season.

In the mock draft, Culver is the only Big 12 player projected to go in the first round. It’d be tough for Culver to find some playing time in Los Angeles, however, with a strong group of combo guards and wings that include Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Josh Hart, but how beneficial would it be for Culver to learn from the second-greatest player of all time in LeBron James?

With unanimous first round projections by all the major mock draft sites, it’s more likely than not Culver will declare for the NBA draft in the spring. We could all hope he stays for the remainder of his collegiate career and become the all-time leading scorer at Tech and possibly lead Tech to a championship (Big 12 or national, neither is entirely outlandish with Chris Beard at the helm), but settling for back-to-back years where a Red Raider has been drafted in the first round is a nice consolation. I guarantee you, that’s something high-end recruits are focused on, and thanks to the success of Culver and Zhaire Smith, those recruits are double-taking when they look in Lubbock’s direction.