Kansas basketball: What can we expect from Kevin McCullar in 2023-24?
Kevin McCullar announced yesterday he would return to Kansas basketball for a super senior season. What can we expect from him in 2023-24?
Star wing Kevin McCullar is running it back with the Kansas Jayhawks this season. It seemed like an impossible scenario after he participated in Senior Night festivities, but he wants to spend another year under Bill Self before departing to the NBA.
He spent three years with KU’s Big 12 rival, Texas Tech, before transferring to Kansas a year ago. McCullar is one of the best defensive players in the country and could win multiple awards during his fifth season of college ball.
In 2022-23, McCullar averaged 10.7 points and 7.0 rebounds in 30.6 minutes per game. We can expect him to post similar numbers in this upcoming season because of the plethora of options that Kansas has offensively. Improving his outside shot would be ideal, as he is a lifetime 29.8 percent three-point shooter.
The Jayhawks have added Hunter Dickinson, Arterio Morris, and Nick Timberlake in the offseason. They also return Dajuan Harris and KJ Adams in addition to a top-10 high school recruiting class. KU’s offense will run through Dickinson, a dominant post player and inside scorer. However, McCullar is yet another experienced weapon that Kansas can utilize to get a quick bucket.
McCullar’s impact will be felt in several ways on the floor. He was the glue guy of last year’s team and should serve a similar role this year. On top of his terrific on-ball defense, McCullar makes the hustle plays that don’t show up in the box score. He is a player that every coach dreams of having.
Bill Self himself said that McCullar is not much of a natural scorer but should have a senior-year impact similar to players like Ochai Agbaji and Jalen Wilson.
Bill Self has to be fired up that Kevin McCullar is coming back. This was after KU's banquet in early May.
— Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) May 24, 2023
"I do see him having the same impact as a senior that [Jalen and Ochai] had."@KUHoops @Kevin_McCullar
Question from @mctait pic.twitter.com/RJbCZ2tPNj
At 6-foot-6, he is one of the best rebounders in the nation at his size. Kansas would have dearly missed his ability to come down with boards if he stayed in the NBA Draft. They also did not have a true wing player that could crack the starting rotation, so McCullar gives them stability at the 3.
No matter how the lineup looks on opening night for Kansas, they will be the preseason No. 1 team. Returning Kevin McCullar makes the Jayhawks the undisputed best team in the country. He won’t leave too much of a mark offensively, but his competitive nature and elite defense should make him an All-Big 12 caliber player.
Next. 5 biggest recruiting busts in the Bill Self era. dark
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