LAS VEGAS — It’s Kevin McCullar Jr.’s first summer league and, in many ways, his first NBA season is still upcoming.
Yes, he was drafted in 2024. And yes, he played four games with the Knicks this past season.
But McCullar’s rookie campaign was derailed by a knee problem.
He didn’t participate in training camp or the Vegas games or most of the calendar events.
“This is really my real rookie season,” McCullar said Sunday after pouring in 30 points in a 94-81 summer league loss to the Celtics. “Last year I just got to be able to get my feet wet a little bit. … I love playing and I missed it for so long. Now it’s pretty much my rookie season.”
With that in mind, McCullar was impressive Sunday with plenty of room to grow, leading the offense in an otherwise disappointing Knicks performance.
Wearing a mask to protect his face after catching a blow in Friday’s loss, the No. 56 overall pick logged an aggressive 28 minutes while shooting 10-for-15.
The bar wasn’t high, but he represented New York’s top performer, by far, even though his aggressiveness also translated to too many fouls (eight, the foul limit is 10 in summer league) and turnovers (six).
“Kevin was solid,” Knicks summer league coach Jordan Brink said. “Got to take care of the ball a little bit better and that’s part of the learning curve for him as a primary ball handler. You see he had a mask on. He got hit in the head and then he got hit in the head again. That’s kind of how he plays. He’s a gritty player. He’s always in the mix with the physical contact. He fought through and I thought he had a pretty good game.”
McCullar is a big unknown for the Knicks, projected as a first-rounder before falling in the 2024 draft because of that knee.
The diagnosis of McCullar’s injury was never made public, but it was apparently aggravated during his final college season at Kansas and sidelined him for most of his Knicks rookie season.
When McCullar returned in March, it was too late to expect rotational contributions.
He signed a two-way deal and returned healthy for this summer league, where he’s vying for a roster spot that should be available.
The Knicks, after all, have at least two slots open and as many as three two-way deals to fill.
“It was a grind to get back healthy,” McCullar said, “and I’m feeling good right now.”
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Time isn’t running out on McCullar, but it is at more of a premium than for other Knicks rookies and sophomores. McCullar is already 24 years old after sticking until his senior year with the Jayhawks, when he was on a path toward All-American status before the knee injury.
He averaged 18.3 points in 26 games that final college campaign. He’s athletic with decent size (6-foot-6) and defense for a wing. His 3-point shot is spotty at best, however, and it didn’t improve last season in the G-League. He hit just 22.2 percent of his treys in 13 games with Westchester.
On Sunday, he was confident and efficient — though not from beyond the arc at just 1-for-5. McCullar also displayed his ballhandling by bringing up the ball — sometimes even when sharing the floor with point guard Tyler Kolek, who struggled mightily for a second straight game (1-for-13 shooting with four turnovers in 29 minutes).
“We’re trying to mix up the looks, trying to get Tyler off the ball a little bit to alleviate some of the ball pressure he’s seeing full court,” Brink said. “Still not doing a great job of getting to our space. That’s something we’ve got to continue to clean up. But part of the summer league experience for Kevin was to try to get him some ballhandling reps and see how he can do in that role.”
In Game 1 on Friday against the Pistons, McCullar wasn’t nearly as good with 13 points on 5-for-14 shooting and 1-for-5 from beyond the arc.
Then against the Celtics on Sunday, he was the best reason — maybe the only reason — to feel good about a summer league defeat.
Injuries hit the Knicks on Sunday.
Pacôme Dadiet, the Knicks’ first-round pick in 2024, was pulled in the second half because of left foot soreness. He struggled before getting sidelined, finishing with seven points on 3-for-11 shooting in 19 minutes.
James Nnaji, the No. 31 overall pick in 2023 who was acquired by the Knicks in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, was removed earlier in the game with lower back tightness, the team said.
Nnaji finished with two points in nine minutes.