Brooklyn Nets select Chris McCullough with No. 29 pick in 2015 NBA draft

The Brooklyn Nets selected Syracuse forward Chris McCullough with the No. 29 pick in the 2015 NBA draft.

The Brooklyn Nets selected Syracuse forward Chris McCullough with the No. 29 pick in the 2015 NBA draft at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

McCullough averaged 9.3 points and 6.9 rebounds in his lone season with the Orange in a talented frontcourt that included Rakeem Christmas. McCullough, who stands 6'10", helped the Syracuse post an 18-13 record. 

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Strengths: Long, athletic and smooth, McCullough has the kind of upside NBA teams covet. His jumper is effortless and his final numbers at Syracuse would have been very impressive if he hadn’t suffered an ACL injury midway through the season. McCullough has excellent defensive potential, flashing excellent anticipation skills for steals and blocks, both important indicators of NBA success.

Weaknesses: There’s a lot of mystery around the 20-year-old at this point. His prep career was marred by attitude issues and academic problems. The Bronx native only got to play 16 collegiate games, and outside of two excellent performances in a pre-conference tournament, McCullough wasn’t a high-impact player for the Orange. His on-ball defense will be a question coming out of Syracuse’s 2-3 zone, which may have also led to his poor defensive rebounding rate. It looks like McCullough can do it all, but can he do it consistently?