As we inch closer into the top half of our NBA Rookie Countdown, we check in with the new look Sacramento Kings, who are hoping to compete for a playoff spot for the first time in ten seasons.
I’ll get into some of the bigger names who are new (or relatively new) to Sacramento shortly, but this feature is on Willie Cauley-Stein, who is widely regarded as the best defensive prospect from the 2015 NBA Draft, and could have been a lottery pick the previous two years had he not waited until finishing up his junior year to declare for the NBA Draft.
Whether he didn’t want to enter sooner because he was coming off of injuries, or he was waiting to be closer to being a top-five pick we’ll never know, but we do know that this kid is a game changer for a franchise desperate for another star player to emerge and make life easier for DeMarcus Cousins.
Let’s see why the Kings think he’s their answer:
Why He Was Drafted?
First and foremost, Cauley-Stein possesses the perfect size, quickness, and instincts that allowed for him to guard positions one-through-five at the college level. In fact, he was the anchor for the nation’s best defense last season, leading the nation in defensive win shares as he solidified his place in NCAA history, ending his career with the best defensive rating that the SEC had ever seen.
Known for his chase down blocks and dunking all over people, I want to get back to that defensive versatility which made him such a valued prospect coming into the NBA. Don’t get me wrong, it helped that Cauley-Stein had another great defender in the front court next to him in Karl-Anthony Towns (who actually posted a better defensive rating and a higher defensive box plus minus than WCS), but when it came to getting big stops there was no question who coach John Calipari would rely on.
That was Cauley-Stein saving Kentucky’s season in the Elite Eight, when Notre Dame looked prime to pull off an upset ending the Wildcats’ perfect season. Make no mistake, Cauley-Stein didn’t get switched onto fellow first-round draft pick Jerian Grant, he was assigned to him, and his persistence helped secure a win.
Now the chase down:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuSwYD8rXkY
Little bit of everything:
Did I mention he likes to dunk on guys?
These clips should give a nice overview of just how freakish of an athlete Cauley-Stein is, as he runs the court like a wing, and isn’t afraid of a confrontation at the rim on either end of the court. In an era that doesn’t exactly have centers who are built like trees that just dominate the low post, Cauley-Stein looks like the perfect center in a league that’s continually getting smaller and more perimeter oriented.
How Does he Fit in with the Kings?
The Kings haven’t won more than 30 games in a season since the 2007-08 campaign, they literally need help everywhere, specifically on defense, where they finished last season with the fourth worst defensive rating in the NBA. Replacing Jason Thompson, Derrick Williams, and Carl Landry with free agent addition Kosta Koufos and Cauley-Stein should certainly help, and even adding Rajon Rondo, who I’d imagine has to be one of the most motivated guys in the league entering the season, should give this team more of an edge on D.
The good thing about a player like Cauley-Stein is he makes life easier for everyone on the court. On top of being able to guard several positions, he’s a great help defender, and he doesn’t require the ball to be effective on the offensive end, as he knows when to cut to the basket or can knock down the occasional open mid-range jumper. These are all things that should help take pressure off of Cousins, the teams’ star.
I truly don’t know if Cousins and new coach George Karl will work out, heck I don’t even have confidence that Rondo will work out, but for this team, I like the moves they made this offseason. On top of Rondo and Koufos, they also signed shooters Caron Butler and Marco Belinelli, which should help them get out of the bottom third of three-point shooting teams. When your cornerstone players are Cousins and Rudy Gay, you need to be able to surround them with guys who can either create for themselves or be relied upon to knock down open shots when those guys draw an extra defender, and this roster has more of that heading into this season than they’ve had throughout Cousins five-year career.
Again I don’t know about the dynamic between Rondo, Cousins, and Karl, who are three very head strong guys, but the talent, and depth that this roster has seems to be heading in the right direction as long as there’s no locker room implosion.
This is the portion of the program where I attempt to say Cousins is the most underrated player in the league. I think most writers and analysts realize this and wouldn’t consider him underrated because they give him his props, but there are a lot of casual NBA fans out there, and even plenty of writers still who attribute the Kings failure to Cousins. I see a lot of “his attitude makes that team terrible” comments, and sure, when he doesn’t get back on defense, or sits a whole offensive possession out it’s a TERRIBLE look for him. Most of your favorite star players wouldn’t do that, and when they do, you give them a pass because they usually don’t do stuff like that, whereas Cousins has a bad rep and some allow those instances to define him.
I don’t want to put too high of expectations on Cauley-Stein as a rookie, but I think he’s already the most help that the Kings have given Cousins in the front court, and his commitment to defense and selflessness on the offensive end should immediately pay dividends for Cousins and the rest of the team.
What Should We Expect Out of Him?
I honestly believe Cauley-Stein is the best defensive big man prospect to come into the league in a while, which is saying something considering Kawhi Leonard is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Nerlens Noel is incredible and Rudy Gobert turned out to be one of the best defenders in the league last season. Oh yeah, Anthony Davis exists too. Regardless, Cauley-Stein will be counted on from day one to contribute on that end, and I think being able to add a player like that can only improve a team, even if it’s the Kings.
I’m not expecting Trillie to contribute much on the offensive end aside from put-backs and fastbreak dunks, but as someone who will probably be all over the place defensively while Cousins guards the opposition’s center, I think he’ll easily lead rookies in both blocks and steals.
In terms of a statline, I think Cauley-Stein’s rookie year sees him in the neighborhood of 7 points, 8 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 2 blocks per game, with his impact easier to see in advanced metrics.
