Now a fifth-year senior who has tested the NBA Draft waters a few times before, many wondered if Kansas guard Kevin McCullar was already a finished product.
But a shooting resurgence and improved numbers across the board through No. 2 Kansas’ 12 games this season have put those notions to rest already.
A 6-foot-6 guard, McCullar has always had NBA-type attributes to offer, including a solid frame and exceptionally stingy defense. But there were plenty of questions surrounding his offensive prowess, and more specifically his shooting.
Miraculously, McCullar’s shooting has not only improved percentage-wise, he’s done it on significantly more attempts. From last season to this season, he improved from 30% on 2.9 attempts per game to a blistering 41% on 4.1 attempts.
Overall, he improved his field goal percentage from 44% last season to 51% through 12 games so far.
Aside from the improved scoring, his general production continues to speak for itself: 6.9 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 0.8 blocks per game.
While he likely won’t be used much as a secondary playmaker in the pros, McCullar’s drastically improved playmaking (2.4 assists to 4.8 this season) and a near-2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (4.8-to-2.6) help to boost his stock too.
All this and more have helped McCullar climb from a preseason fringe-first rounder to a likely mid-first or even a late-lottery pick.
For now, McCullar is focused on helping the second-ranked Jayhawks to another deep playoff run. But in a few short months, he’ll enter the draft process for the final time, seeing it through this time by hearing his name called on draft night 2024.
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