A year ago, Willie Cauley-Stein turned heads with his defense in the NCAA Tournament. The 7-footer went baseline-to-baseline on a key defensive possession to help seal a win against Notre Dame. Oh and he did it against one of the quickest guards in the tournament.
Willie Cauley-Stein forgets he’s 7’ and acts like a guard on Euro step, left-handed finish
Cauley-Stein is still making the adjustment to the NBA level, but his absurd combination of size and athleticism remains as impressive as ever.
Every component of this play is impressive. Combined, it’s jaw-dropping good. The steal is a fantastic example of his length and quickness. Even corralling the ball is impressive for a guy his size. Surely we’ve seen players fail to make that gather in a similar situation.
Then he takes it to the next level. The Euro step at full speed is great. And for icing on the cake, he finishes it left handed.
There aren’t many centers in the NBA who can do that. He still has a long way to go to consistently maximize his ability, but that play is a glimpse that has to have Kings fans dreaming of the future.
