NBA Draft 2019: Top Prospects Jarrett Culver and De’Andre Hunter Set To Face Off In The National Championsip

If the Memphis Grizzlies are using their pick in this years NBA Draft, Jarrett Culver and De’Andre Hunter are possible picks, and they will be facing off, in the national championship game.

Two of the top prospects in the 2019 NBA Draft class will be facing off in the national championship game. Jarrett Culver leads his Texas Tech Red Raiders up against De’Andre Hunter and the Virginia Cavaliers. This game may not mean much with the Memphis Grizzlies close to conveying their pick, but if they don’t, these two are both possible selections.

Both of these prospects have been under the radar as much as any potential top-five pick can be. They have started to get the proper recognition now, but for the majority of the season that hasn’t been the case. That’s something these guys are used to though. They weren’t the high recruits that the majority of the other guys were, but that’s okay.

These two guys don’t need the spotlight to shine. They have made a huge impact on their teams this season on both ends of the floor. They both play with a toughness about them that will translate to the next level.

Jarrett Culver has been slept on since his high school days as he was just a three-star recruit entering college. He wasn’t very big or athletic and he was severely underrated. So many top schools refused to recruit him and if it wasn’t for the fact his hometown was Lubbock, who knows if Texas Tech would’ve even recruited him.

Another part of the reason he was slept on is that he didn’t play a huge role during his freshman season. He showed flashes of excellence, but he was behind many talented players such as Keenan Evans and Zhaire Smith.

They lost six key players from a year ago so they needed guys to step up and Culver has done just that. He has gotten plenty of help especially from the two graduate transfers Matt Mooney and Tariq Owens, but the reason Texas Tech is in the title game is because of Jarrett Culver.

De’Andre Hunter was in a similar role last season as he didn’t start a single game for Virginia last season. He was a higher recruit though as he was the 91st ranked prospect by 247Sports which earned him a four-star rating. During his freshman year, he was behind guys such as Devon Hall and Isaiah Wilkins.

Even during his limited role his first year you saw how valuable he was. They became the first one seed to lose to a 16 seed after he got injured. Their offense as a whole is much better this season and he is a big part of that. Their improved offense is why they’re in this position to compete for a championship.

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Both of these players reaching the national title game will improve their stock, with a chance to improve it even more with an impressive performance to help lead their squad to a championship. In a preseason mock draft by Ridiculous Upside, they had Hunter going 10th overall, and Culver going 22nd.

These two players deserve a lot of credit for their team’s success, but they do have a lot of help. Neither was the best player in their respective Final Four games. That was Matt Mooney for Texas Tech and Ty Jerome of Virginia. Both of these guys will need to be better if they want to win.

They also need to be better for their own good. NBA scouts noticed some of the struggles they went through on Saturday and they will need to be better. Both of those guys still made plays so we don’t need to act as they played terribly, but they weren’t top-five or top-ten in the draft worthy.

While the rest of the top prospects are already focused on preparing for the NBA these two guys are still playing and impressing the scouts in doing so. Expect these two to match up often on both ends of the floor as they try to improve their draft stock while bringing their school a national championship.