NBA Draft Scouting Report: Kansas' Kevin McCullar Jr.

Scouting Report: Kevin McCullar Jr.

Contents

1. Prospect Profile 
2. Highlights
3. Draft Projection 
4. 2024 Big Board

Kevin McCullar Jr. 

Wing | Kansas

Height: 6'6” | Weight: 210 lbs 

2024 Draft Age: 23.26 

Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Prospect Profile 

A transfer from Texas Tech, McCullar got the opportunity to thrive on the biggest stage at Kansas last season. This move was great for his stock in hindsight as he showed much improvement before declaring for the 2023 NBA Draft. He ultimately withdrew to come back to school for another year, but things are still trending up for him.

While he did play off-ball guard some in college, McCullar projects to be more of a true wing at the NBA level. He lacks the ball skills to be a high level guard, but has the length to be just fine sliding up a spot. Furthermore, he’s a great positional rebounder.

Although he does foul too often at times, McCullar is a fantastic defender. That side of the ball will be the primary reason he has a chance to be drafted. In fact, he is one of the best perimeter defending wings in the entire draft which will certainly translate over to the NBA. The 6-foot-6 prospect does a great job of disrupting an offense and has the defensive tools to guard one through four. He has quick hands and great hand eye coordination and has shown some secondary playmaking abilities which is a valuable skill for an off-ball wing player to have.

Overall, he is a smart defender that makes the right reads and navigates actions well. The combination of size and quickness brings versatility on that end of the floor. This led to Big 12 All-Defense Team honors last season.

The real concern is around his scoring. Can he provide offensive punch to compliment the defensive production? He has shown the ability to be a complimentary scorer, but certainly not a primary or secondary. The lack of self-creation holds him back, but simply becoming a more effective rhythm shooter would go a long way. McCullar hasn’t been a good 3-point shooter to date. His perimeter shooting is very inconsistent, but improvement on that front could result in him being a solid rotational player at the next level to go along with his elite defense, feel for the game, and experience.

While he’s not an elite shooter, he is a good cutter and off-ball mover. McCullar is also a good screener and makes offenses more efficient.

The two-way impact of McCullar is real, but it's difficult to find that one thing he's great at outside of the defense. The Kansas prospect is versatile and does a lot of things well, but there’s a lot of key NBA skills he lacks. 

Highlights

Draft Projection 

Second-Round Pick in 2024 NBA Draft.

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2024 Big Board

Want to know more about other potential 2024 NBA Draft prospects and where they might get selected? Check out our Draft Digest Big Board.

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