Kevin McCullar Jr. scouting report: Profile, team fits, strengths, flaws and NBA draft stock prediction
The Kansas Jayhawks are in great hands this season. Part of their success can be attributed to senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr., a native of San Antonio, Texas.
McCullar Jr. entered college as a consensus four-star recruit. While he didn't go one-and-done like a lot of his peers, he remains an intriguing prospect for the upcoming NBA Draft.
Here's a quick look at his attributes:
Kevin McCullar Jr. scouting report
Measurements
McCullar Jr. is a physically imposing guard. He remains big even if he were a two-guard and could be just the right heft as a three, at most. He's listed at around six-foot-seven and weighs 212 lbs., with a six-foot-nine wingspan measured at the 2022 NBA G-League Elite camp (via NBADraft.net).
Moreover, the Kansas senior also reportedly has an eight-foot-5.5-inch standing reach. Overall, the former Texas Tech transfer is quite the specimen for a combo guard, with a prototypical basketball body that could be utilized to overpower much smaller guards on the opposition.
Strengths
McCullar Jr. fully takes advantage of his size. He's the best scorer (19 PPG on 46.3% FG shooting) on a Kansas Jayhawks team that has another offensive weapon in star center Hunter Dickinson. He serves as the main guy in Kansas' 1-2 offensive punch who can also pass (4.4 assists/game).
On offense once more, Kevin McCullar Jr. has shown a solid, steady-looking jumpshot, both off the catch and off the dribble. He once again uses his size to just shoot over anyone with his high release point.
So, even if his stroke looks slow at times, it rarely matters, as he'll still be able to get a shot off against virtually anybody.
He has shown promise from the 3-point land, but he's far, far better when he uses his heft to carve a way to the basket.
McCullar exhibits great body control when going for contested layups, so even if he barely plays above the rim, he remains effective up close. He also regularly finishes a lot of high-post action, with Dickinson at the elbow and McCullar cutting strong to the basket, where he can also get and-ones.
When things don't get going for his scoring, he can pass as well as anybody. McCullar is a great secondary passer who doesn't try to do too much on that side of the ball.
He makes the basic, on-point passes right into the pocket of mostly cutting teammates, either on the break or within a set. That's a testament to his ability to properly read the defense so he could find the open man when needed.
Lastly, his defense could even be slightly better than his scoring mainly due to his length. He'd quick enough to at least keep up with most guards on the perimeter and uses his over eight-foot-five wingspan to cover passing lanes well.
McCullar also look like he doesn't need much effort to cover a lot of ground on the defensive end. That allows him to guard at most four positions (perhaps even all five if you stretch it) on the court without spending too much energy.
It's his defense that would make NBA teams at least give him a second look and not his scoring and athleticism per se.
Weaknesses
While Kevin McCullar Jr. tries to use his length to bother opposing guards, he tends to foul a lot (via Sports Illustrated).
That could be because while he could be bigger than his matchup on any day, he could be a bit lacking in foot speed to keep up with the insanely quick changes of pace. It can catch him off balance on defense, which results in him fouling more often than he needs to.
When it comes to athleticism, Kevin McCullar Jr. plays relatively below the rim, as previously mentioned. He doesn't jump as high and would not give anyone jaw-dropping highlights even if he probably wanted to.
However, in truth, he doesn't need to do that much. The NBA has enough guys to do that, and if he gets drafted, it definitely won't be his role. Lastly, there's potential consensus among analysts that his scoring just wouldn't translate well to the NBA level.
He's a decent 3-point and mid-range shooter, but he would face far bigger frontcourt guys at the pros if he tries to bring the ball in on a drive. He's scoring that much because he's a huge combo guard in college.
However, in the NBA, he will most likely be relegated to the wing where there aare simply far too many uber-athletic players to take his lunch money.
Kevin McCullar Jr. NBA Draft projection
Kevin McCullar Jr. is not a high-level draft pick, but he could be at least a solid second-rounder in the 2024 NBA Draft. Any teams that could use some big bodies on their backcourt could benefit from a player like the Kansas senior.
At the moment, a few teams that could be a good fit for him are the Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets and the San Antonio Spurs, who would be a homecoming for the San Antonio native.