After a series of swaps and a roller coaster through the second round, the Knicks finished Thursday by drafting Kansas’s Kevin McCullar Jr. at No. 56 and German Ariel Hukporti at No. 58.
McCullar, a 23-year-old forward, is the more familiar name after a long NCAA career. He’s considered strong defensively and a potential glue guy, or a Josh Hart lite.
He blossomed as a senior last season with the Jayhawks, averaging 18.3 points, and might’ve been an All-American if he hadn’t missed the end of the season — and the NCAA Tournament — with a knee bone bruise.
McCullar, a San Antonio native, also played two seasons at Texas Tech.
The biggest concern is offensively and whether he’ll be able to score enough in the NBA to earn a spot on the court.
Unfortunately for McCullar, his selection received no airtime on ESPN because it immediately followed the Lakers taking Bronny James, launching a long discussion on the panel on the high-profile family.
Two picks later, the Knicks took a gamble on Hukporti, a 6-foot-11 center and a product of the highly acclaimed NBL Next Stars program in Australia.
Hukporti, 22, is a physical rim runner and rim protector with a high motor. He seems to know his role.
“I’m pretty defensive. Running up and down. I’m a hard worker. Defensively, guarding guards on switches and running down the floor and being a lob,” Huporti said after a workout with the Pacers.
Hukporti tore his Achilles less than two years ago and missed the entire 2022-23 campaign in Australia.
He returned to average 7.9 points and 7.1 rebounds last season.
Earlier in the second round, with the 34th pick, the Knicks selected Marquette point guard Tyler Kolek.
Their selections came from several trades that could be best summed up like this: The Knicks started the second round with picks 38 and 51; they ended the draft with picks 36, 56 and 58.
Miles McBride underwent a “procedure” this week on his pinkie toe, according to the Knicks, who announced on X that the guard is “expected to resume basketball activities later this summer.”
McBride elevated into an important part of the Knicks last season while averaging 8.3 points in 68 games, raising his 3-point efficiency from under 30 percent in the previous season to over 40 percent.
It’s unclear if his role changes much with the addition of Mikal Bridges, but McBride proved himself adept at alternating in-and-out of the rotation while maintaining a high level of play.
