KU Jayhawks assistant sings praises of newly drafted Knicks wing Kevin McCullar

Native New Yorker Norm Roberts, who starred as a player at Queens College and coached for six seasons at St. John’s, was a natural choice of the New York Post to comment on the Knicks selecting former University of Kansas guard Kevin McCullar in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft.

“He’ll fit in perfectly with the Knicks,” 14th-year KU assistant basketball coach Roberts told The Post in an article published Wednesday.

“He’s a versatile player who can play on the ball or off the ball offensively and he’s a multiple defensive player who can guard 1 through 4,” Roberts said. “He probably has as high of a defensive IQ as any player I’ve ever been around in my life. And he’s tough as nails so he’ll go guard a 6-foot-9 guy or guard a 5-foot-11 guy. That to me is a guy that will fit right in with who they are and what they do.”

McCullar, a 6-6, 205-pound, 23-year-old San Antonio native, was the 56th player (out of 58) selected in the 2024 draft. He averaged 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists a game last season his second and final season at KU. He played for Texas Tech three seasons.

“I actually think Kevin’s a plug-and-play guy right now if they were to need him to be,” Roberts told the Post. “I think you can play Kevin right away. We had Christian Braun, too, and they are very similar in that regard. Christian Braun may be more athletic, jumping-wise, but I would say Kevin McCullar has better ball skills than Christian had while he was here.

“But they are cut out of the same cloth. Christian goes to Denver and plays like 15 minutes per game his first year and they win the championship. Now he’s playing 24 per game, and who knows, maybe he’ll have a chance to start there next year (his third in the NBA). I believe Kevin can be that type of guy in the right situation.”

Some in the New York media have compared McCullar to 6-4, 29-year-old Knicks wing Josh Hart.

“I coached against Josh Hart when he was at Villanova and they are very similar players,” Roberts told the Post.

Barring a trade, McCullar may yet spend a lot of time in the NBA G League his rookie season. The Knicks’ regular rotation figures to include wings Hart, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Donte DiVincenzo.

“Kevin McCullar is a winner. He’s tough. And he’s definitely tough enough to handle New York,” Roberts said. “He knows how to be a role guy and play that role to the best of his ability and he knows how to be a lead guy, which he had to be for us this year. So he’s already played both roles, and he understands how to do both well.”

New York went 50-32 during the 2023-24 regular season, losing to Indiana in seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

“The Knicks were terrific this year, and I’m so happy for coach (Tom) Thibodeau and the fans with what they’ve accomplished,” Roberts told the newspaper. “I think Kevin McCullar will fit in well with what they are doing.”

McCullar was unable to work out with teams leading up to the draft following a surgical procedure on the knee that prevented him from playing in the 2023-24 postseason at KU. He is listed as a member of the Knicks’ summer league team, as reported by hoopshype.com. Others listed: Pacome Dadiet, Ariel Hukporti, Tyler Kolek and Alex O’Connell.

“Kevin is a first-round player and I think anybody that saw him healthy this year would agree to that,” KU coach Bill Self said at the conclusion of the draft. “Kevin will play in the league for a long time and the Knicks got one of the toughest players we have had in our program. We are all excited that Kevin heard his named called. He will be a great fit for a playoff team and such a storied franchise.

“Unfortunately, Kevin got injured at the end of January wasn’t the same the rest of the season and had a setback after the season as well. He wants it bad and he will respond. He will do well in New York.”

Roberts completed his 13th season on the KU bench in 2023-24 after rejoining Self’s staff in June 2012. Roberts was on Self’s first KU staff in 2003-04 and returned prior to the 2012-13 season. During the 2022-23 season, Roberts was Kansas’ acting head coach for nine games, four at the beginning of the year and all five during the postseason, compiling a 7-2 record.

In his time at Kansas, the Jayhawks have won nine Big 12 regular-season titles and four Big 12 tournament championships and have advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 six times, the Elite Eight five times and the Final Four twice — in 2018 and 2022, winning a national championship in ‘22.