2015 NBA Draft picks: Sacramento Kings select Willie Cauley-Stein
The big man from Kentucky was chosen No. 6 overall.
Another Kentucky Wildcat is off the board. Willie Cauley-Stein was taken by the Sacramento Kings with the No. 6 overall pick Thursday night. Some reports over the past few weeks had said the Knicks, who had the No. 4 pick in the Draft, were looking closely at the Kentucky big man. But concerns about an injured ankle caused him to slide to the Kings.
Cauley-Stein missed the final three games of Kentucky’s 2014 season because of that ankle injury. The Wildcats won an Elite Eight and Final Four game without him, but they lost in the championship to UConn. Thus, Cauley-Stein returned for his junior season and was an anchor for the Wildcats’ impenetrable defense. Kentucky came up just short of an undefeated season and a national title, but Cauley-Stein proved how effective he could be as an NBA defender throughout the year.
2015 NBA Draft
Throughout his career, Cauley-Stein averaged eight points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 24.5 minutes per game. Because of Kentucky’s depth, he never logged heavy minutes, but his numbers balloon to 13.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per 40 minutes. Cauley-Stein isn’t a polished offensive player, but he can finish at the rim and could make for a great pick and roll target. Defensively, he’s great at guarding at the rim, an extremely important NBA skill. Cauley-Stein’s defensive instincts paired with his size and athleticism make him ready to impact the NBA game immediately.
Akis Yerocostas of Sactown Royalty, SB Nation’s Kings blog, says that Cauley-Stein’s defensive potential makes him unique, as well as a strong fit next to DeMarcus Cousins.
Cauley-Stein is the first center the Kings have picked in the draft lottery since drafting DeMarcus Cousins back in 2010. Cauley-Stein's defensive potential is such that he should be able to guard any frontcourt position, almost rendering him a 'positionless' basketball player on that end of the floor. Cauley-Stein's also an excellent offensive rebounder and shotblocker. The biggest question marks for him revolve around his offensive game as well as possible health issues with his ankle and sickle-cell trait.
In Sacramento, Cauley-Stein will, for now, be joining Cousins, a fellow former Wildcat. If Cousins stays in Sacramento he and Cauley-Stein will form a strong frontcourt. Of course, Cauley-Stein may also be there to replace Cousins. If that’s the case, Cauley-Stein could become the anchor the Kings’ defense for the next five years.
In the meantime, he’s showing off some pretty nice bling.
The Willie Cauley-Stein Custom Medallion, in all its sparkling glory pic.twitter.com/ak92pBxSMD
— Luke Winn (@lukewinn) June 26, 2015 See More:
