The New Orleans Pelicans are at an interesting crossroads. The front office did not seem ready to move on from veteran point guard Jrue Holiday, despite Anthony Davis requesting a trade. It is still unclear whether the Pelicans are going into a full rebuild or are attempting to retool around Holiday and Julius Randle. Ownership has recently moved on from GM Dell Demps, so the franchise’s direction is still up in the air.
Jarrett Culver can flat out score the basketball. He is long for a shooting guard at 6’7″ with a 6′ 10″ wingspan and knows how to use his length to use his advantage. He scorers over smaller guards with ease and is very efficient shooting a blistering 56.6% on two-pointers. Despite having a hot start from three-point range to begin the season, his percentage has dropped down to 34% on the season. Nevertheless, that statistic does not tell the whole story. Culver habitually shoots the ball from deep three-point range and has shot well against top competition. He scored 25 points and made 4 out of his 9 three-point attempts against Duke on December 20th. He has immense defensive potential due to his length. Although he has been a good defender at Texas Tech, there is still room for improvement on that end of the floor.
Culver makes sense for the Pelicans. He could play alongside Jrue Holiday and help the team chase the eighth seed or be the centerpiece of the rebuild.