Grading the Nets: Chris McCullough

A five-star recruit coming out of high school, Brooklyn Nets forward Chris McCullough showed loads of potential during his brief stay at Syracuse. With a 6’11, 200 pound frame and a work-in-progress jump shot, many teams around the NBA eyed McCullough as a project that they could mold into a solid professional player.

The excitement surrounding him was high throughout his year at Syracuse, but that season was cut short when McCullough went down with a torn ACL halfway through the season. This injury was a massive setback not only for his professional prospects, but also for his development as a player.

With a variety of areas in his game needing improvement and him needing to add weight, the ACL injury could not have come at a worse time in his career. Even with that setback however, McCullough chose to enter the NBA Draft and play the odds on his future.

Once considered a mid-first round pick, McCullough dropped to the Nets at #28 and much like his days at Syracuse, excitement began to build as he neared his return to the court during February. With the team already solidified as a non-contender, the opportunity would be there for McCullough to play a decent amount of minutes.

Topping out with a 24-minute effort against the Washington Wizards one week before the season ended, McCullough was never fully unleashed but did have the chance to show both management and the fans the type of player that he could potentially become.

Offensively is where he’s going to need the most work, as oftentimes he looked lost throughout the 24 games that he appeared in. Whether it was not knowing where to be on the court or what to do once he got the ball, it was clear that the learning curve to an NBA offense would be a bit steep for him and it was only exacerbated by the time that he was forced to miss throughout the front half of the season.

He has a long way to go in terms of his jump shot and he doesn’t currently have the strength to be able to consistently back down defenders in the post. If he’s able to add a few moves that don’t require overpowering the opponent he would be much better off, but again it’s still a major work in progress.

Defensively is certainly where he was more promising, though there were still lapses in the mental portion of his game. His size and athleticism allow him to guard multiple positions on the court, though he’ll again have to bulk up if he wants to bang down low with the bigger players in the league.

He has great length that allows him to disrupt shots and passing lanes, and paired with fellow rookie Rondae Hollis-Jefferson they may make up one of the longest tandems in the league. Even if he isn’t able to add weight, his length should allow him to be a shot blocking presence for years to come.

There were certainly some promising moments throughout the year for McCullough, including three double-digit point games within a week towards the end of the season, but next year should be viewed as his true rookie season. The setback of the injury certainly hampered him this year, but he may very well grow into an impact player in future years.