Weaknesses
However, there are still plenty of areas where McCullough can improve, which is why some were surprised by his decision to enter the draft this year — even if he is projected to be a late first round or early second round pick still. While McCullough has a decent enough frame for a 20-year-old, he’s still extremely skinny and needs to put on weight to be able to adequately defend at the next level.
Sir Charles In Charge
However, we’d be remiss if we failed to mention that the biggest reason people’s eyebrows were raised by McCullough’s decision to enter the draft was his ACL tear less than five months ago.
Because of that season-ending injury on Jan. 11, McCullough’s draft stock is hard to place. The potential is clear and he’s still young enough to overcome that injury. But we’ve seen plenty of prospects’ careers ended by early injuries, so the concern for a guy so skinny (particularly with his lower body) is understandable.
In addition to bulking up, McCullough needs to get tougher and play with more energy in the paint to be able to survive the tougher bigs in the NBA. His turbulent high school career that saw him bounce from school to school revealed his lack of internal motivation and as he recovers from this injury setback, he can’t workout for NBA teams and show them what he can do.
Next: Potential Fit