Willie Cauley-Stein
Birthdate: Aug. 18, 1993 (Spearville, Kan.)
School: Olathe Northwest (Olathe, Kan.) Class: 2015 (OFFICIAL) Height: 7'0" Weight: 240 NBA Position: PF/C |
University of Kentucky (2012-2015)
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Scouting Report 1.0 — 05.10.2015 (Joseph Fafinski)
In drafting Willie Cauley-Stein, you know what you’re going to get—a reliable, bulking, defensive terror in the post. This makes him a surefire lottery pick in a draft full of questionables and ifs.
Cauley-Stein specializes on the defensive side of the floor. His movement defensively should translate over to the pro rank, as his ability to alter shots—in 105 games at Kentucky, he swatted well over two balls per contest—and defend the pick-and-roll are perhaps his two biggest scouting assets.
Cauley-Stein runs like the floor much quicker than anyone his size; his ability to finish in transition is his greatest offensive attribute. This is also helpful when defending on the block.
Cauley-Stein’s low ceiling presents a problem, however. He’ll likely never be a perennial All-Star or a scoring option on a championship team—the Olathe, Kansas native’s limited offensive capability is what separates him from those tags. The seven-footer improved his free throw percentage from 37.2 percent as a freshman to a more acceptable 61.7 percent in his junior season, but his jump shot is poorer than just about every other big in this year’s class. In order to become that next level player some believe he’ll be, the shot must be improved, plain and simple.
Flash and pizazz gives some players in this class a feeling that they can light up teams with their scoring and playmaking ability. Cauley-Stein doesn’t have that, but what he can be in the NBA is a post presence so many teams long for in the NBA, a la Tyson Chandler. It all boils down to whether you believe in the potential in a prospect or the certainty of Willie Cauley-Stein as a post presence in the NBA. Some team will snag him early.
Cauley-Stein specializes on the defensive side of the floor. His movement defensively should translate over to the pro rank, as his ability to alter shots—in 105 games at Kentucky, he swatted well over two balls per contest—and defend the pick-and-roll are perhaps his two biggest scouting assets.
Cauley-Stein runs like the floor much quicker than anyone his size; his ability to finish in transition is his greatest offensive attribute. This is also helpful when defending on the block.
Cauley-Stein’s low ceiling presents a problem, however. He’ll likely never be a perennial All-Star or a scoring option on a championship team—the Olathe, Kansas native’s limited offensive capability is what separates him from those tags. The seven-footer improved his free throw percentage from 37.2 percent as a freshman to a more acceptable 61.7 percent in his junior season, but his jump shot is poorer than just about every other big in this year’s class. In order to become that next level player some believe he’ll be, the shot must be improved, plain and simple.
Flash and pizazz gives some players in this class a feeling that they can light up teams with their scoring and playmaking ability. Cauley-Stein doesn’t have that, but what he can be in the NBA is a post presence so many teams long for in the NBA, a la Tyson Chandler. It all boils down to whether you believe in the potential in a prospect or the certainty of Willie Cauley-Stein as a post presence in the NBA. Some team will snag him early.