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2019 NBA Mock Draft: When simulating the lottery gets wonky

By Brendon Kleen

METAIRIE, LA - MARCH 14: David Griffin, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations for the New Orleans Pelicans, talks to the media during an introductory press conference on April 17, 2019 at Ochsner Sports Performance Center in Metairie, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images)
METAIRIE, LA - MARCH 14: David Griffin, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations for the New Orleans Pelicans, talks to the media during an introductory press conference on April 17, 2019 at Ochsner Sports Performance Center in Metairie, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – APRIL 08: Jarrett Culver #23 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders shoots against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half in the 2019 NCAA men’s Final Four National Championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – APRIL 08: Jarrett Culver #23 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders shoots against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half in the 2019 NCAA men’s Final Four National Championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /

5. player. 27. . G/F. Texas Tech. Jarrett Culver

What a disaster for New York in this simulation. The Knicks, poised to be the dames of free agency, fall to their lowest possible point in the draft at No. 5, with four teams jumping ahead of them in the lottery. Culver is not the type of gift they were hoping to receive for suffering through one of the more miserable seasons in NBA history.

Think about all Knicks fans went through to get to this point. Kristaps Porzingis’ injury last season and the news he would miss this whole season; the will-he-won’t-he rumors about Kevin Durant; trading Porzingis at the deadline in a salary dump to get draft picks and clear cap space; 14 wins; and the unexciting rookie season of 2018 No. 9 pick Kevin Knox.

Culver is not going to be the centerpiece of a surprise trade for Anthony Davis, nor a game-changer to pair with Durant should he move to the Big Apple this July. But by pairing Culver with Knox, the Knicks can slowly start to build a more modern outfit that can grow with or without the reigning two-time NBA Finals MVP.

Already, New York has three players in Knox, 2018 second-rounder Mitchell Robinson and Frank Ntilikina who could form a top defensive unit in short order. Culver only raises the ceiling of that young core on defense and solidifies the identity New York has the opportunity to construct through the draft — long, athletic and defensive.

Durant fits that mold beautifully — even if they fall on lottery night, the Knicks should be thinking this way to make Durant’s first season in New York more fruitful than LeBron James’ first year as a Laker.

Check out our full scouting report on Jarrett Culver. 

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