CHICAGO – Jarrett Culver knows the Phoenix Suns are coming off a bad season, their second worst in franchise history, but he likes the young talent on their roster.

“They have a lot of great players,” Culver said Thursday. “D-Book (Devin Booker). Great young guys over there in Phoenix. I know if I was there, I could fit in with the young guys and being able to play and make an impact on the game.”

And the Texas Tech sophomore guard might still be on the board when the Suns pick at No. 6 in next month’s NBA draft in Brooklyn, N.Y.

“I haven’t talked to them yet, but I will eventually, pretty soon,” Culver said.

That “pretty soon” will be Friday.

“They’re on my schedule to meet tomorrow,” Culver said.

The Suns are pretty loaded on perimeter players led by Booker and Mikal Bridges, but the fact that they’re planning to meet with Culver shows they're interested in him.

Culver said he met with Cleveland, Orlando and Washington on Thursday and spoke Wednesday with the New York Knicks.

The Knicks have the third overall pick while the Cavaliers are slated at fifth.

“There’s a very good group of young guys who are really good basketball players,” Suns general manager James Jones said Thursday in Chicago. “I think that gets lost. All these guys are really good basketball players and at the end of the day, if you can add a very good basketball player to your team, it makes your team better.”

Measuring out at 6-foot-5 ¼, without shoes, and 194.2 pounds, Culver has a 6-foot-9 ½ inch wingspan. He didn’t participate in the combine drills or games, but Culver is considered one of the top players in this year's draft after leading Texas Tech to the 2019 national title game.

“He’s talented,” Michigan forward Charles Matthews said of Culver, who scored 22 points in leading Texas Tech past the Wolverines, 63-44, in the Sweet 16.

“He can score at all three levels. His team, they ran so much through him. He had a lot of opportunity and a lot of freedom.”

Culver averaged 18.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists this season. He shot just 30.4% from 3 after connecting on 38.2% of his shots from distance as a freshman, but Culver is viewed as a two-way player.

“He’s a competitor,” Virginia guard Kyle Guy, whose Cavaliers beat Culver and the Red Raiders in the national title game in overtime, 85-77. “He actually plays pretty good defense. Both of our schools preach that. So much respect for that. He’s pretty crafty with the ball and can get a shot whenever he wants.”

Culver feels like he can make an immediate impact in the league on the defensive end. The Suns could use some of that as they finished next to last in defensive rating after ranking dead last in that category in 2017-18.

“We were one of the best defensive teams in college,” Culver said. “I feel like I take pride in defense and it’s something I want to do.”

That feeds right into what Culver said is the biggest misconception about his game — competitive spirit.

“People don’t really realize that, my mentality,” he said. “I watched Michael Jordan and Kobe (Bryant) a lot. Just try to get that mentality from them and seeing how they take over games and how competitive they are.”

Culver’s reserved nature gives off the impression he’s not very competitive, but that’s not the case in his opinion.

“I’m kind of level headed when I play,” Culver said. “I don’t really yell a lot and all that stuff. Once I get on the court, it’s a different beast out there. That’s how I got to play. Off the court, I’m a nice guy. Lay low and laid back. I just have a different mindset out there.”

Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.

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