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Willie Cauley-Stein, 7’0″ Center/Power Forward, University of Kentucky, 21 Years Old
Offensive Game – It is unlikely that you are drafting Cauley-Stein for his offensive game, but if you are, you will certainly be disappointed. In his final year at Kentucky, he averaged 8.9 points per game on 6 field goal attempts, the vast majority of which are drop off passes for dunks and offensive rebounding put-backs. He lacks the ball handling skills of an effective post game to be truly considered a dangerous player on offense. However, Cauley-Stein is a hard worker and there is hope he can develop into an effective screen and roll man at the pro level.
Defensive Game – Now if you are drafting Willie Cauley-Stein, this is why you will be happy with your selection. He is an incredibly effective defensive player, despite his young age. He averaged over 6 rebounds, 1 block and 1 steal per game. While those numbers are not eye-popping, remember that Cauley-Stein often shared the floor with two other seven footers and he appears to value proper defensive position rather than stealing rebounds. Despite his size, Cauley-Stein is more than just a rim protector. Because of the defensive systems at Kentucky, he quite often switched screens and ended up guarding point guards and wings of the opposing teams. Cauley-Stein was quite effective in this regard and this skill projects well to the NBA, where big men are often tasked with a hard hedge in order to defend a high screen. While his offensive game is still a work in progress, he will contribute immediately on the defensive end.
NBA Potential – Willie Cauley-Stein has one skill that almost always transfers to the NBA and that is size. Combining his seven foot height with his strength should allow him to become a starter and a potential all-star in the years to come. As the NBA moves towards playing smaller players at the four (i.e. Draymond Green), there will always be a need for a big man next to him who can defend the rim and collect rebounds. Therefore, if Cauley-Stein can continue to work hard and avoid injury, he projects to have a productive NBA career.
NBA Player Comparison – The NBA player most similar to Willie Cauley-Stein is Tyson Chandler. In Chandler’s rookie year (remember Chandler was drafted out of high school), he averaged 6.1 points,5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. Furthermore, he was viewed as a defensive force with limited offensive game. However, once Chandler settled with the Dallas Mavericks he found a team that surrounded him with shooters while allowing him to catch lobs after screens and chase offensive rebounds. This caused his career to flourish and lead to an NBA title. If Cauley-Stein can develop the hands to catch the ball after the screen and be able to finish in traffic or find the open shooter, he has the potential to mirror Chandler’s effective career.
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