Willie Cauley-Stein to Kings: Twitter Reacts as C Is Selected in 2015 NBA Draft
There isn't a player in the 2015 draft who offers as much of a defensive presence as Willie Cauley-Stein. The Sacramento Kings clearly agreed, making him the No. 6 pick Thursday night.
SportsCenter on Twitter announced the pick:
Cauley Stein said that when he gets to Sacramento he's "just going to work (hard) & hopefully help bring a championship to the city," per the team.
Cauley-Stein feels like the perfect fit for the Kings no matter what happens with DeMarcus Cousins, who has been rumored to be on the trade block. If Cousins stays in Sacramento, Cauley-Stein offers support as a rim protector and defensive presence to complement him. If Cousins is dealt, Cauley-Stein will slide into the frontcourt to replace him.
Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated thinks he's a natural fit for what the Kings want to do on the court as well:
Dan Levy of Bleacher Report questioned the value of selecting him so high in the draft, however:
On the other hand, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com thinks he'll bring stability to an organization that could use some:
Cauley-Stein averaged 8.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 25.9 minutes per game, with his time on the court reduced more than stars at other schools due to Kentucky's incredible depth and unique manner of rotating its top players. He made his money on the defensive end of the court, earning the 2014-15 SEC Defensive Player of the Year award.
The following stat from ESPN Stats & Information illustrates just how big of an impact Cauley-Stein can have on a game defensively:
What makes Cauley-Stein so special, however, is his versatility. Yes, he can bang on the boards and he is an elite shot-blocker. But he's also so athletic that he's capable of defending smaller players out on the perimeter, meaning he is incredibly adept at handling switches and stifling forwards or guards when defending screens.
In other words, the stretch 4 may continue to be in vogue, but Cauley-Stein is the kryptonite for that type of player. And he certainly doesn't doubt his own ability, as he said during the draft, per ESPN on Twitter:
For as special as he can be defensively—and Chris B. Brown of Grantland compared him to one of the game's defensive greats—he'll need to improve on the other side of the court, too:
"Willie Cauley-Stein one of the most intriguing top picks. Could quickly be bigger, quicker Dennis Rodman on D and rebounding. O must develop
— Chris B. Brown (@smartfootball) June 26, 2015"
Yes, the Kings will want to see him continue to evolve as an offensive player. But Cauley-Stein's defensive impact has the chance to be so great for a team that it might not matter if he's never a major offensive factor. He is truly one of the more unique talents in this draft, and Sacramento should reap the rewards on the defensive end for the next decade after nabbing him.
