The Atlanta Hawks Are Now Lubbock’s Favorite NBA Team
Jarrett Culver was drafted in the top 10 by the Minnesota Timberwolves coming out of Texas Tech. In the previous draft class, Trae Young was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks and traded to the Atlanta Hawks for Luka Dončić.
What you might not know, is that both Jarrett Culver and Trae Young were born in Lubbock. Culver is the obvious one. That story was told over and over during his time at Texas Tech. The Coronado graduate stayed home to play for Texas Tech. Trae Young's story was told a ton too but hasn't been repeated locally since he played at Oklahoma.
Young, the son of Texas Tech legend Rayford Young, was born in Lubbock before his family moved to the Norman, Oklahoma area. When it came time to choose a school, Young chose the hometown team instead of becoming a legacy and playing at his dad's university.
Since Young joined the NBA in 2018 he's been incredible. The Hawks went to the conference finals in 2021 before losing to the Bucks. Their first trip to the finals since 2015 and only the second trip since the 1970s. Young himself is a 2-time All-Star, made an All-NBA team, and was on the 2019 NBA All-Rookie team.
Since Culver got into the league it's been more of a grind. Culver got processed out of the Timberwolves roster after they out-drafted his position. He was traded to the Memphis Grizzles the last offseason but notched a career low in minutes per game and starts. Culver has dealt with some injuries and his first season in the NBA involved a huge bubble, but it's safe to say it's not the NBA career he envisioned.
The good news is that the next step for Jarrett Culver's career is that he's joining his Lubbock family in Atlanta.
It's a two-way contract for Culver and the Hawks, which means there is no guarantee for him to be on the squad when the season starts, but there is also some flexibility to have Culver on the G League team and bring him up if needed to the NBA Roster.