Cleveland Cavaliers rumors: Cavs enamored with Jarrett Culver

The Cleveland Cavaliers are rumored to be falling for Texas Tech wing Jarrett Culver with the fifth pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

In Cleveland Cavaliers rumors, Texas Tech’s Jarrett Culver is the latest name linked to the Wine & Gold as June’s draft quickly approaches.

Get ready for silly season, Cavs’ fans, because last week, the Cavs were said to really want Duke wing R.J. Barrett.  Now, there’s a rumor out that they may as well have picked Culver with the second pick, ahead of Barrett!

There’s going to be a merry-go-round of players the Cavs’ supposedly “really like.” Could there be a kernel of truth to every rumor? Absolutely. But just like the NFL Draft, get ready for a lot of smokescreen.

Amico Hoops founder Sam Amico picked up the Culver rumor, and wrote the following.

"“If the Cavaliers had landed the No. 2 overall draft pick, they may have settled on Texas Tech shooting guard Jarrett Culver — even over the likes of Ja Morant and R.J. Barrett.That is how much the Cavs are said to like Culver. It’s hard to know if any of this is true or just a gigantic smokescreen (Culver is about the third draft prospect the Cavs are said to really, really want.)"

Culver was the best player on Texas Teach’s national runner-up squad. He always passed the eye-test, and at times, his game would leave you wondering how the Virginias, North Carolinas and Dukes of the world failed to get him to commit.

With that said, there were times Culver flat out disappeared in games.

The sophomore, who averaged 18.5 points per game, was a non-factory for most of the title game. He ended up salvaging his night with 15 points, but he shot 22.7 percent from the field.

In the national semifinal, Culver was no where to be seen and it’s crazy to even consider his team was still able to knock off Michigan State by 10 points. In that contest he scored 10, while shooting an abysmal 25 percent from the field.

And in the Elite 8? He scored 19, but shot 26.3 percent from the field.

By no means is three games a sample, but after watching this, it’s a little scary the Cavs are so confident in this kid, if those rumors Amico reported on are true.

Great players insert themselves into the game. I tend to believe this is more of a mental part of the game. Great ones fire out how to get involved. Culver had three cracks at it in the tournament and really struggled. And it’s not like this kid was without experience. Heck, as a sophomore, he was the elder statesman of college basketball.

The Cavs believe he’d be a good fit with new coach John Beilein, though, because of the former Michigan man’s experience in player development.

Culver will be a storyline to watch as it’s been rumored that even the Knicks are considering him with the third pick, ahead of Barrett. That sounds crazy, but in New York, anything can happen.