Kevin McCullar Jr. getting opportunity to carve out Knicks role
Josh Hart’s protégé has helped the Knicks weather his absence.
Mike Brown’s rotation keeps growing with contributions from new places.
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Kevin McCullar Jr. has become the latest example.
Hart’s ankle injury opened the door for McCullar to earn playing time, and he’s run with the opportunity.
He had a real role during the Knicks’ three-game road trip — 23 minutes in a win over the Hawks, nine minutes in a win over the Pelicans and eight minutes in a loss to the Spurs.
“He’s tough,” Brown said Friday. “He does all the little things that don’t show up in the boxscore all the time. His shifts are really good. His physicality without fouling is really good. He can rebound, or at least he’s not afraid to get in there and hit somebody when it comes to keeping your opponent off the glass. And then he understands how to play [against] different individuals. He’s got a good feel to know, like if you’re a hot shooter or a guy that can really shoot the ball, how to close out, take away that air space. If you’re not, if you’re more of a driver, he knows how to close out where he can take away an angle. Just a good feel for a lot of little things that he has along with that toughness and that’s what you like for a guy his size.”
His emergence came in that win over the Hawks in Atlanta, whom the Knicks faced again Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
Though obviously not nearly to the same extent, if there is anyone whose game McCullar’s most resembles, it’s Hart’s all-around style.
During that win over the Hawks last Saturday, McCullar finished with 13 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Brown has recognized him as one of the Knicks’ best on-ball defenders as well.
And McCullar has praised Hart as a mentor.
“Yeah, that’s my big bro on the team, for sure,” McCullar said previously. “His energy is contagious. I learned a lot from him over the last year.”
Fittingly, it was a comment that Hart made — after the Knicks’ loss to the Timberwolves in Minnesota on Dec. 23 — that urged McCullar to stay ready despite his lack of playing time.
He had played just a total of 5:47 all year at that point.
“After the Minnesota game, we had great conversations within the group,” Brown said previously. “And one of the things Josh said was, ‘Hey young guys, guys coming off the bench, if we as starters don’t have it going, you guys gotta try to uplift us, too. You guys gotta hold us accountable, too. And when you get your opportunity, be aggressive.’ ”
McCullar seems to have taken that message to heart.
His path to this moment was uneven.
The No. 56 pick last year, he was acquired on draft night by the Knicks.
A knee injury derailed the end of his college career at Kansas as well as his rookie season last year, missing most of the season other than a few meaningless appearances late in the year.
The knee injury — combined with his age — were the main reasons why he was not a higher draft pick despite breaking out as a senior at Kansas, averaging 18.3 points per game and earning first-team All-Big 12 honors.
His opportunity finally arrived, though.
It will be tough for him to keep his role when Hart returns.
But for the moment, he’s holding his own.
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