The Knicks were playing shorthanded again on Saturday.
Landry Shamet and Miles McBride are progressing well but remain out, and now Josh Hart has joined them after suffering an ankle injury during the Christmas win over the Cavs.
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Hart is still being evaluated, but he’s expected to be out for New York’s entire road trip.
So with the dynamic forward missing, Mike Brown had an opportunity to dip even further into the Knicks’ depth.
We’ve seen unexpected contributors step up this season, and now it was Kevin McCullar Jr’s time to shine.
McCullar came into the night with just seven appearances in his pro career, but he was more than ready to go when Brown called on him as his first reserve off the bench.
“You just have to stay ready at all times,” he said. “Coach Brown trusts in one through 17 on the bench, and you just have to try to be ready when your number is called.”
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McCullar picking up four rebounds (three offensive) and dished an assist in an active first five minutes.
The 24-year-old carried that into the second quarter, contributing one of the plays of the season, in which he dove after a loose ball he poked free then found some space and knocked down a corner three on the return pass.
It was those type of hustle plays that gave New York the energy they needed to end the first half strong.
McCullar kept the momentum going coming out of the locker room, knocking down his third triple of the night as part of a seven-point quarter, helping the Knicks barely weather Atlanta’s early second-half surge.
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Then with the Hawks refusing to go away, Brown trusted him enough to give him minutes down the stretch.
The youngster ended up being named New York’s Defensive Player of the Game, and he finished his most impressive NBA showing with 13 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals in a career-high 23 minutes.
“I just wanted to give him a chance,” Brown said. “Threw him out there for a few minutes and he was fantastic, he earned even more minutes — I didn’t have him down for that many minutes, but he definitely earned them.”
With Hart sidelined, perhaps McCullar will be able to earn even more minutes over the next few games.
