NBA Rumors: Former First-Round Pick Making Strides In Philippine Pro League

To some, the name of Chris McCullough may not ring a bell. But the truth is he is a legitimate first-round NBA pick of the Brooklyn Nets way back in 2015. And while he was a promising cager back then, he is best known for being a five-star recruit in high school and opting to play college ball with Syracuse University. Not even and ACL injury stopped the Nets from picking him up although his stars have not yet aligned.

When the 24-year-old cager came in as a late replacement for resident San Miguel Beer import Charles Rhodes, not too many knew much about him. It was not until his first game against the NLEX Road Warriors did hoop fans start to take notice. In a report from ABS-CBN, he dropped 47-points right in his very first game in what turned out to be the start of a turnaround for one of the league's storied franchises.

As of this writing, McCullough played a key role for the Beermen when they defeated the Talk N' Text, 99-94, to take a pivotal 3-2 lead in the PBA Commissioner's Cup finals. McCullough once again starred for his team, dropping a game-high 35 points to go with 22 rebounds. But most importantly, it places his team on the brink of winning the PBA title. And after that, it appears the 29th overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft already has planned ahead.

According to Ben Stinar of Amico Hoops, the 6-foot-9 has already signed a lucrative deal with KGC in Korea next season. But like most former NBA players who have been left out, McCullough hopes to make a comeback with his outstanding performances.

"I think I took this year to recreate myself," said McCullough in that interview.

And judging from how he has been performing, it appears he has been doing a splendid job. On whether this would be enough to gain the attention of NBA teams remains to be seen.

Like any other basketball player, McCullough needs to finish his current obligation. He needs one more win to wrap his stint in the Philippines and move on to the next job. Either way, nothing could be better than to lead his team to the title and over another former NBA player who has been turning heads in Terrence Jones.