It’s been a long road for Knicks rookie Kevin McCullar Jr.
The 2024 second-round pick out of Kansas had his collegiate career end early due to a knee injury that had him miss the NCAA tournament. After undergoing a knee procedure, the 24-year-old finally made it onto a professional court this month with the Westchester Knicks, the team’s G League team.
McCullar Jr.’s potential began to show in White Plains where he averaged 11.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in 27 minutes across 11 games (seven starts). He even posted consecutive triple-doubles a week ago, showing the full arsenal the 6-foot-6 guard has.
So when McCullar Jr.’s injury status was upgraded from questionable to available ahead of Tuesday’s game with the Dallas Mavericks, there was some excitement. The potential for McCullar Jr. to get on an actual NBA court was there, but thanks to Josh Hart and Karl Anthony-Towns‘ own triple-doubles putting the game out of reach for the Mavs in the fourth quarter, coach Tom Thibodeau signaled for the rookie to get his first taste of NBA action.
In three minutes on the floor, McCullar Jr. scored two points on 1-of-2 shooting, his first NBA points. When his first bucket went in, the Knicks bench cheered him on, recognizing the enormity of the moment.
“Kevin’s worked extremely hard and has been through a lot. His rehab has been long, arduous and he’s worked his way through that,” Thibodeau said of the bench’s reaction. “Then he made his way into the G League and put together some good games. This is his first opportunity but I think there’s an appreciation for the work that he’s put in. He’s a great kid. We’re happy for him. The team is always first to everybody. We’re proud of him.”
“It felt amazing. It felt good,” McCullar Jr. said of his first NBA points. “As a kid that’s what you dream of doing, so to go out there and finally get in the game and be able to score my first bucket was big.”
Tuesday night was notable not just for McCullar Jr.’s debut but the history both Hart and Towns made with their triple-doubles. Hart, especially, deserved the game ball after the win because he broke the Knicks’ record for most triple-doubles in a season. Despite that, the third-year Knick made sure the rookie got the game ball, something McCullar Jr. said he appreciated.
“For me, that’s an easy decision,” Hart said of the gesture. “For me, that record is cool and a blessing, but it’s gonna get broken at some point. Hopefully later rather than sooner but getting your first NBA points, no one can take that away from you. It’s important he got the game ball for that. That’s an easy decision for me.”
McCullar Jr. is on a two-way contract with the Knicks, and is not expected to see much court time — especially with how Thibodeau uses his bench — but Tuesday night was a huge first step for the former third team All-American.
Josh Hart was on giving Kevin McCullar Jr. the game ball even though he broke the Knicks triple-doubles in a season record
“That record is cool and a blessing, but it’s gonna get broken at some point. Getting your first NBA points, no one is going to take that away from you” pic.twitter.com/yHmLAxoCZw
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) March 26, 2025
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