rookie report

Shahbaz Khan

Just a week prior to the Kings regular season opener, Willie Cauley-Stein was briefly sidelined while healing from a minor injury. In that time, the Kentucky product quickly gravitated towards fellow Wildcat in Rajon Rondo.

Rondo, well-known for his basketball intelligence, drew the attention of the team’s newest draft pick.

“Whatever Rondo’s doing, that’s what I’m trying to do. If I see him watching film on the plane, then I’m peeking over his shoulder,” said No. 00. “Just watching was so big for me – I got to break it down play-by-play. I watched about 60 clips of film. Even though I was sitting out, I was still doing a big part of the game since it’s mental.”

The duo’s connection was immediately evident, as Cauley-Stein has often been on the receiving end of No. 9’s fastbreak passes. In fact, to date, the Kings newest center-forward shoots at a near 72 percent clip when receiving a pass from Rondo, compared to his 59 percent average for the season.

While the chemistry between the rookie and the star point guard has paid dividends on the court, Willie has been adamant that being around the veterans has been equally as rewarding off the court.

After being ruled out for an extended period in early January due to a dislocated finger, Willie turned to 16-year veteran Caron Butler for support.

Since returning from his one-month hiatus, Cauley-Stein has averaged over seven points per game, with four double-digit nights, compared to just two in his first 20 games.

“Sitting on the bench, being around Caron and them, they just told me ‘you’ve got to find spots where they are going to find you’. So that’s all I’ve been working on. I worked on that for the whole month. Watching film and looking at spots where I can be there and just score.”

The frontcourt pairing of DeMarcus Cousins and Trill has made an impact on both sides of the ball, and DMC has taken notice.

“I can give credit to Willie – he’s come in and as a rookie changed the whole identity of our team. That’s huge, especially for a rookie. So it just shows his impact on this team and he does so many things for us that don’t show up on paper. Not only Willie but I feel like everybody’s picked up the defensive identity and it’s helping us win games right now. So we’ve just got to keep going.”

When the duo starts, the Kings rebounding and scoring numbers improve, with the team plus-12.5 in points and plus-5.6 in rebounds per 100 possessions.

The rookie won’t settle for being labeled a defensive specialist only, though – he strives for more – as exemplified from a preseason piece he had written for The Players Tribune.

“There’s definitely one thing I love more than basketball, and it’s proving to people that I can do the things they say I can’t do. The story on me going into this draft is that I’m an elite defender with a raw offensive game. In my head I’m thinking, how would you even know what I’m capable of offensively? At Kentucky, I shot about 25 jumpers my entire career. I didn’t major in statistics, but that’s a pretty small sample size.”

With 30-plus games remaining in the regular season, Cauley-Stein has an opportunity to continue to broaden his offensive repertoire – something he’s taken to heart, working late after practices alongside Rondo.

cauley-stein-thriving-alongside-veteran-presence

Cauley-Stein Thriving Alongside Veteran Presence

Willie Cauley-Stein has flown under the national media’s radar for a majority of his rookie campaign, averaging 5.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. The statistics don’t do him justice, but the results do; when Cauley-Stein starts alongside fellow Kentucky product DeMarcus Cousins, the Kings are 11-3.

No. 00’s defensive effort and abilities are evident the moment he steps on a court, averaging 1.1 blocks in just 18.5 minutes per game.

In crucial moments, the first-year center has shown why Sacramento selected him early in the first round of the NBA Draft – by playing an immense role in the team’s defensive late-game strategies. On two separate late-game occasions, Willie has been responsible for guarding the inbounds passer in a one-possession game. Both times, his presence has been enough to force an errant pass.

During the team’s five-game winning streak, with the help of Cauley-Stein, Sacramento has held opponents to just 40.1 percent from the field and 96.4 points per game. The play is a drastic improvement over the 107.2 points per game allowed in the first 39 games and Willie is at the forefront of that.

In addition to a robust defensive game, Trill has surprised many with his offensive abilities by shooting over 61 percent this season – often on the receiving end of alley-oops or layup opportunities thanks to out-running the oppositions big men.

Nearly one-fifth of Cauley-Stein’s baskets come on the fastbreak, while 70 percent of his total field goals are assisted. Of Cauley-Stein’s 63 made shots this year, 24 have come off of an assist by Rajon Rondo, who has a knack for finding  the rookie.

“I think my teammates are starting to trust me a little bit,” said Willie after posting his first-career double-double earlier this week. “I’m able to play defense on anybody, now they are starting to feel like ‘yeah, he’s the real deal, he can do stuff that we can do.’"

In a win over Atlanta, Trill had his biggest offensive test to date – a free-throw opportunity that would extend the lead in the final seconds. Shooting just 52.7 percent from the charity stripe on the year, the Kings 2015 draft pick calmly sank back-to-back free-throw attempts to help put the game away.

In just 28 games this season, the potential of the Kings newest center is evident, and growing, in every contest.

cauley-stein-makes-presence-felt

Cauley-Stein Makes Presence Felt

Months before playing in his first NBA game, Willie Cauley-Stein’s potential was deemed “revolutionary” by NBA Trainer Idan Ravin. That’s high praise – especially from someone who’s been able to train Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Stephen Curry and many more.

That said, while the ceiling seems high for Willie’s future, George Karl and company are curious as to how much the young Center can impact the team this year. The answer seems to be a lot.
 Defensive Ability 

NBA.com’s John Schuhmann recently reported that in three of the past four seasons, the Kings have allowed the highest amount of fast break points in the league. According to Schuhmann, “League-wide, effective field goal percentage drops more than 10 percentage points after the first six seconds of the shot clock.”
 
With the addition of Trill, ideally, that statistic should fall for Sacramento. Willie’s unique combination of athleticism and defense is largely what earned him a spot as the sixth pick in the draft. Highlights like this are just one of many examples of his ability to turn an opposing fast break into instant offense…

 
Equally as important is his ability to navigate pick-and-roll situations with ease. Even in situations when he’s forced to switch onto a smaller guard, Willie has held his own.
 
At the same time, he’s able to protect the rim – exemplified by his 1.4 blocks per game average this preseason.
 
A mobile Rookie with three years of college experience under his belt, Cauley-Stein’s impact on the defensive side of the ball should translate well from the collegiate level.  
 Offensive Game
 
WCS’ talent certainly isn’t limited to the defensive side of the ball. He’s an excellent pick-and-roll player and as you may have guessed, an excellent court runner. There’s few big men in the NBA that I’d take to beat Willie in a race (DeMarcus Cousins being one of the others).
 
Paired with a distributor like Rajon Rondo, fans can expect to see many easy buckets like this for #00.

 
The offensive talent doesn’t stop there, either. Willie’s non-stop motor has paid off in a big way this preseason on the offensive glass – the Kentucky product has averaged nearly three offensive rebounds per game. With an increased pace, WCS will undoubtedly be key in securing even more possessions for the Kings.

rookie report

Cauley-Stein Thriving Alongside Veteran Presence

Cauley-Stein Makes Presence Felt

Rookie Report: Willie Cauley-Stein