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Texas Tech star Jarrett Culver declares for NBA draft

A projected lottery pick, Jarrett Culver is leaving Texas Tech after his sophomore season. (AP)
A projected lottery pick, Jarrett Culver is leaving Texas Tech after his sophomore season. (AP)

Jarrett Culver led a Texas Tech team with the nation’s best defense to an unexpected run to the national championship game.

Now he’s headed to the NBA.

The Red Raiders sophomore guard announced in a video Thursday that he is declaring for the NBA draft.

Culver’s NBA draft announcement

Culver thanked his teammates, coach Chris Beard, his hometown of Lubbock, Texas and Texas Tech fans before making the announcement.

“With that being said, I’ll be declaring for the 2019 NBA draft,” Culver said.

Game should translate well to NBA

The 6-6 shooting guard is a projected lottery pick thanks to a game with few weaknesses. An excellent defender and rebounder, Culver made a big jump on the offensive side of the ball during his sophomore year that earned him Big 12 Player of the Year honors and will likely lead to him being a top-10 pick.

Culver averaged 18.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.4 rebounds as a sophomore and earned Final Four All-Tournament honors after Texas Tech fell to Virginia in overtime of the championship team.

A 30.4 percent shooter from distance, Culver will need to improve his range to be an effective 3-point threat at the next level.

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