NBA Draft Prospect Breakdown: Kevin McCullar Jr. Versus Texas
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There is simply no denying that Kansas wing Kevin McCullar Jr. is one of the best defenders in the country. This is highlighted by him recently being named as a Naismith Awards Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist.
Via Cerebro Sports database, McCullar is the only player in the country that has played in 20 games and averaged 20 minutes per game to fill the box score with more than seven rebounds, two steals and half a block per game.
This speaks to the versatility and overall impact that the San Antonio, TX native can have on a game which is further highlighted by his 2.5 assists per game on the offensive end.
If McCullar is this impactful on the defensive end, on the boards and even has some tertiary offensive creation then why is he not an automatic first round selection?
The answer to that question rests with McCullar’s ability to knock down shots.
While McCullar is having one of his best season’s scoring inside the 3-point line, 52% on 5.4 attempts, and from the free throw line, 78% on 3.7 attempts, the same can not be said for beyond the arc.
He is currently shooting under 30% on his three attempts per game from the 3-point line.
There are some signs to be encouraged by McCullar's jumper, though. The aforementioned free throw percentage is often used as a more accurate indicator of NBA 3-point shooting and he did have a 12 game stretch this season where he knocked down 3-pointers at 37% on 4.1 attempts per game.
Unfortunately, Saturday vs Texas was another rough jump shooting game for McCullar as he went 0-for-2 behind the 3-point line and missed a couple mid range jumpers.
He did however do what he always does which was finish in the lane and absolutely fill up the box score in every other way possible.
Offense
The improvement of McCullar’s shooting will ultimately decide his ceiling at the NBA level as we saw multiple examples in this game where he got open catch and shoot opportunities.
Being able to consistently knock those down, along with everything else he does well, will provide an extremely valuable player.
The beautiful thing about McCullar is that everything else that is needed from an off the ball offensive player is already established.
He is an extremely effective off the ball mover and cutter. Not only does he relocate around the 3-point line, keeping good spacing on the floor, but also has the knack for cutting at the perfect time to the rim to receive a pass for an easy finish.
While it was not necessarily displayed in this game, McCullar is also a high level off the ball screener which results in open scoring opportunities for his teammates.
On top of the off the ball movement, McCullar is also a very good ball mover and “one more” passer. All of this combines to a player that absolutely contributes to creating great flow within a good offensive system.
One area that will be interesting to follow is McCullar’s ability to create off the dribble. We saw a couple flashes of this where he created opportunities to score himself but can he also take this and use it as a way to again create for his teammates with more high level reads?
Defense
While the shooting may decide McCullar’s ceiling, the elite level defense is what gives him his tremendously high level floor.
You simply can not watch a University of Kansas game and not come away seeing how he is an instant factor on this end of the court.
There is no player in the country better at recognizing weak side rotations, pick-and-roll tags, scram switches and every other aspect of off the ball defense that is asked of him.
McCullar is able to combine this elite off the ball defense with great, and versatile, on the ball defense as well.
At 6-foot-6 and 210 lbs. he is strong enough to hold up in switches and should be fine at the next level against bigger wings and forwards.
He is also quick enough to stay with smaller players and uses some of the best, and most accurate, hands you will see to be disruptive on and off the ball.
McCullar takes all of this and adds to it with his impact on the defensive boards in which he had six of in this game.
One of the best examples that can be given of how good his defense is comes from this game against Texas. The impactful possessions on the defensive end were so abundant that they had to stop being clipped for the below video breakdown at halftime for the sake of time.
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