NBA Mock Draft 2019: The Pelicans are in the driver’s seat
6. player. 66. . G. North Carolina. Coby White
The Suns have to be praying Jarrett Culver falls to them, and may be yet another candidate to trade up to the No. 4 spot should they feel he may not be available at No. 6. According to Vecenie, the Texas Tech wing has been working out in Arizona during the pre-draft process since participating in a pro day at The PHHacility in south Phoenix in late May.
We scouted that pro day, put on by Culver’s agency, Octagon, and got very little from Culver, who went through a highly scripted routine and took some jump shots before calling it a day. Scouts surely didn’t see anything there they didn’t already know, but it would be reasonable to believe the Suns’ front office was able to hop over to a local gym to watch him at least once or twice.
Consider as well that Suns executives traveled to Lubbock, Texas, to meet with Culver and watch him play on his college campus earlier this month. His presence in Phoenix during the pre-draft process explains the trip out there — they already knew what he looked like in an empty gym, but in order to commit to him, wanted to see what his life was like.
However, the Suns are also thought to be quite high on White. He checks many of the boxes they would likely want from a second guard opposite Devin Booker. White can shoot, make plays in transition, and potentially defend both guard positions at the next level thanks to his size at 6-5.
The Suns’ plans seem to hinge on whether they love Culver enough to jump up to draft him, and how much they are willing to give up, armed only with a 2020 Bucks first-rounder and their own picks.