During Boeheim's Army's 69-54 win over Always A Brave on Wednesday, there was one player who had a standout performance. Former Syracuse forward Chris McCullough paced the Army with 19 points on 7-11 shooting, seven rebounds and two blocks. He also hit a three pointer and was 4-5 from the charity stripe. McCullough flat out showed off his immense talent as his play propelled Boeheim's Army to what was essentially a road win.
If he can keep playing at that high level, it may not only lead Boeheim's Army to a The Basketball Tournament championship, but it could also lead to another NBA opportunity. The talent that led to the first one was on full display Wednesday night.
McCullough scored in transition, showing off his ability to run the floor. He hit mid-range jumpers that he created himself or made off a feed from a teammate, hit a three, made plays out of the post and attacked the rim. Offensively, McCullough did it all. On the defensive end, McCullough blocked two shots and proved able to provide resistance in the paint.
The talent is certainly there and he showed he has an NBA level skill set. At 6-11, McCullough has tremendous length, he is extremely athletic and has proven he can score the ball. With quick feet and those skills, he can hold his own defensively as well. McCullough should be given another shot at the NBA. At just 26 years old, he has plenty of upside remaining and can fill a role with his talent and athleticism.
His first shot came after being selected in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets. McCullough spent his rookie year with the Nets and then part of the following year before being traded to the Washington Wizards. He would finish out that season with the Wizards, was on the roster for parts of the following year, and has not been in the league since the 2016-17 campaign.
During his three years in the league, McCullough appeared in 59 total games while averaging 3.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.3 blocks in 9.0 minutes per game.
McCullough signed with Syracuse out of high school as a five star prospect. He picked the Orange over Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Florida State, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas, Louisville, Maryland, North Carolina, UCLA, Villanova and West Virginia among many others. He played in 16 games for Syracuse before an injury cost him the rest of the year.
At Syracuse, McCullough averaged 9.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 2.1 blocks per game. He shot 47.8% from the floor.
The talent is there. Now it is time for him to get another chance to show it on the sport's biggest stage.
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