3 free agents under 25 the Los Angeles Lakers could sign
By Jason Reed
3. Jarrett Culver
This would be an example of the Los Angeles Lakers betting on the pedigree of a recent lottery pick and hoping that they can unlock something in him that has not yet come out. Jarrett Culver’s NBA career has been a bit disappointing thus far as the 23-year-old has not lived up to the expectations of being a sixth overall pick.
However, Culver has shown flashes in a similar way to Malik Monk. Monk had more substance before joining the Lakers, particularly in his last season in Charlotte, but the team was still able to unlock a new version of him. Perhaps the Lakers could do the same with Culver.
After two years in Minnesota Culver spent last season with the Memphis Grizzlies. He averaged just 9.6 minutes per game, scoring 3.5 points with 1.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists. His career averages are not much better as he is averaging 6.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.
His three-point shooting has been really bad thus far in his NBA career, which really hurts his value. Culver is a career 28.3% shooter from three and has never posted a three-point percentage in the 30s.
So why take a chance on Culver? First of all, he is a fundamental defensive player that could guard multiple positions. While he is by no means an elite defender, he is someone who can defend point guards to small forwards at an above-average level and that is important.
It mostly has to do with his potential, though. Culver had a lot of playmaking potential coming into the league that simply has not translated. He has never been a knockdown three-point shooter but we also saw the Lakers turn Alex Caruso into a 40% three-point shooter when he was with the team.
Is Culver guaranteed to make a big impact? Not at all. But it is much better for the Lakers to take a chance on someone like him with a roster spot rather than signing someone like Avery Bradley, who is not going to play that much better than Culver and has no potential to get better.