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Pros and cons as Kansas basketball’s Kevin McCullar Jr. is selected in 2024 NBA draft

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Pros and cons as Kansas basketball’s Kevin McCullar Jr. is selected in 2024 NBA draft

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LAWRENCE — Kevin McCullar Jr. became the second Kansas basketball player to be picked in this year’s NBA draft Thursday, as the 56th overall pick, and according to multiple reports the second round selection is heading from the Phoenix Suns to the New York Knicks in a trade.

McCullar transferred from Texas Tech to KU ahead of the 2022-23 season, and in the two years that followed developed into an All-America caliber talent. He helped the Jayhawks to a Big 12 Conference regular season title during that first season, and entered the second with similar potential. And he’ll embark on his professional career with the chance to continue to enjoy success in this sport.

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McCullar established himself as one of the best defensive talents in college basketball during his time at that level, both because of what he’s capable of physically and his knowledge of the game. Over time, he showcased can he be a weapon offensively as well. During his final season at Kansas, the graduate senior guard averaged 18.3 points, six rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game, while shooting 45.4% from the field, 33.3% from behind the arc and 80.5% from the free-throw line.

McCullar will, though, have to deal with the reality he dealt with injury problems over the course of his college career. It’s a reason why, although he started all 26 of the games he played in this past season, he also missed a considerable amount of time and didn’t play in either the Big 12 or NCAA tournaments. Find a way to stay healthy, and continue to develop offensively, and he should have every opportunity to have a lengthy career.

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

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