Scouting Report - Willie Cauley-Stein

Name: Willie Cauley-Stein DOB: 8/18/1993 (21) School: Kentucky

Height: 7’0.5 Weight: 242 Projected Position: C

Wingspan: 7’3 Standing Reach: 9’3

2014-15 Stats:

8.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.2 spg, 1.7 bpg, 1.2 tpg (25.9 minutes per game)

57.2 FG%, 61.7 FT%, 58.8 TS%, 57.2 eFG%

17.8 USG%, 11.1 ORB%, 17.3 DREB%, 14.5 TRB%, 7.1 BLK%, 2.9 STL%

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SKILLS & ATHLETIC BREAKDOWN

Offense

Post Offense

For a seven-footer, Cauley-Stein doesn’t spend much time playing in the low post, understandable given the big men he has played alongside in his three years at Kentucky, though when he does look to post down low, he has shown improvement. Cauley-Stein does a good job using his body to seal the defender in the low post, getting low with a wide base, and using his lower body to try and hold position, though he often doesn’t have the strength to do so. His footwork is smooth, but simple, and his post moves are limited, yet can sometimes be effective. Cauley-Stein’s primary move is setting up on the left block and going over his left shoulder for a short hook shot. While the shot itself has improved, there are still many instances where he just tends to throw the ball at the basket, sometimes not even aware of where his move has taken him. The times where he does tend to shoot the hook shot, it’s a nice looking shot, but he needs to do that consistently. He will try the same move on the opposite side going to his left hand, but that’s even less effective. Cauley-Stein has developed a nice up-and-under countermove for when his first attempt at a move is denied, though, again, it only really works well if he can shoot the ball with his right hand, and even then, he can have troubles. Cauley-Stein is capable of facing up out of the low post, and either shooting the mid-range jumper, or making a dribble move to the basket, though with his ballhandling ability, it isn’t always a wise move. Cauley-Stein has a lot of trouble finishing around the basket, if he’s not dunking the ball. Even if he’s open underneath, looking to lay it up, it can be an adventure, made worse given his size. I’m not sure if it’s a focus issue or a skill issue at this point, but it’s interesting to watch.

Cauley-Stein wasn’t looked to often in pick-and-roll sets, but his athleticism and ability to finish strong at the rim, could make him a good option there. Teams didn’t look to double Cauley-Stein in the low post given his minimal post scoring ability, though he does have trouble when faced with help defenders, either losing the ball, or being slow to make any kind of pass. There may not have been a player in college basketball more exciting to watch on basket cuts as Cauley-Stein, especially since he always seemed to be left with a lot of space as defenders rushed to help. Teammates didn’t even have to throw good lob passes for Cauley-Stein to convert, he would stretch as far as he could to make it happen, and often the only reason he doesn’t convert is because he is fouled.

Perimeter Offense

Cauley-Stein hasn’t looked to shoot much from the perimeter during his college career, though when he does, how comfortable and smooth his shot looks can be surprising. He gets into his shooting motion quickly off the catch, with a quick, high release, and good follow-through. For some reason, he fades away often as he shoots the ball, even though no one on the floor, other than possibly one of his own teammates, could have altered the shot. At times, his release is a bit crooked, or he won’t release the ball at the peak of his motion, but these are all easily fixable with repetition. Cauley-Stein has shown some ability to take the ball off the dribble to the basket, though he isn’t a very good ballhandler with either hand, and he doesn’t have the dribbling skills to maneuver around defenders, so he often just ends up going right into them. Again, given how he has improved in other areas, he should show at least minimal improvement here as a pro, especially when he flashes to middle and has space to get to the rim. However, as in the post, he often makes a move with little idea of where he’s going to end up, so the shot he has in mind doesn’t always seem to match where he is on the floor.

Free Throw Shooting

While Cauley-Stein’s free throw shooting has improved each season at Kentucky, he’s still not very good, which hurts because of his good free throw rate. He has a consistent routine and good shooting form, but he has an unnecessary hesitation before he releases the ball which causes him to end up almost pushing the ball at the basket, leading to a lot of hard misses off the back of the rim. It’s certainly a fixable issue given how he has improved his form since his freshman season. Cauley-Stein had a free throw rate of about 54 per 100 field goal attempts, which is very good, considering much of his offense was derived in non-traditional ways for a big man.

Defense

Post Defense/Help Defense

It’s odd that the weaker part of a seven-footer’s defensive ability is as a post defender, but as we’ve seen so far, Cauley-Stein is a unique player. He does a good job positioning himself between his man and the basket, getting low with a wide base. He doesn’t do much to make it difficult for an entry pass to get there, or even worry about giving up deep position. Cauley-Stein has the ability to move his feet well while defending in the low post, but he lets all of the movements be dictated by the offensive player, and even if he wanted to, he doesn’t have the strength right now to stop it. Instead, Cauley-Stein relies on his ability to alter and block shots, which can be a good deterrent, but stronger players don’t have much of a problem going right through him. His footwork is good when defending against both back-to-the-basket and face-up post moves, and he uses many of these skills and abilities to be a very good perimeter defender, as I’ll get into below. Cauley-Stein has very good defensive awareness, and he has the ability to affect a play no matter where he is on the floor. He can be a very good weak side defender, and even if a bit slow to get in position, his length and athleticism help him make up any ground. Because he played on the perimeter often, Cauley-Stein’s shot-blocking numbers were down, but he was still one of the college basketball’s best. His timing and extension are very good, and he can come to make a play on a ball from all angles. Cauley-Stein is very good as a pick-and-roll defender, hedging out well on the ballhandler and using his length to take away a lot of the ballhandler’s options. He could be slow to recover back to his man, and he often left wide open shooters in pick-and-pop situations.

Perimeter Defense (On/Off Ball)

Cauley-Stein’s ability to defend out on the perimeter is what sets him apart from most big men you’ve seen entering the draft, and he may have been the most impressive defender in college basketball last season. He positions himself well, with a good defensive stance, his outstretched arms a warning to anyone looking to get by him. Cauley- Stein has good lateral movement, at times even over longer distances, with some quick reactions to his man’s movements. He is very good about preventing players from trying to get to the basket, though he often does this by playing giving a good amount of space, and even a bit of forward movement from an offensive player has him backpedaling. He is susceptible to players who can hit the jumper off the dribble, often giving them a very good look at the rim. In college, it wasn’t a huge deal, since a lot of guys still couldn’t hit the open shot, but things could be different at the next level. If Cauley-Stein does come out to defend a player tight on the perimeter, he does get beat by players with good speed, though it’s not wise for a player to think that once they are past him that he’s out of the picture. If the player slows down even a bit, Cauley-Stein has a knack for making up ground and blocking shots. Cauley-Stein can also cover a lot of ground quickly when closing on perimeter shooters, though he does buy fakes easily, with him ending up flying out of the play. Off the ball, Cauley-Stein’s length is great for disrupting passing lanes, though he can have problems overplaying and getting caught by his man going backdoor. He uses agility well to move with his man off the ball, and he navigates through screens very well for his size, even though Kentucky would often just switch on perimeter screens. He can have a tendency to cheat a lot towards the lane to be ready to help, though he often would leave too much ground if he was covering a shooter, leaving them with very good looks at the basket.

Rebounding

Cauley-Stein can be a very good rebounder, though his lack of strength can affect him on the defensive end. He is much better on the offensive glass than defensive, showing good instincts for the ball and the ability to maneuver his way into a position where his length is tough to stop. Cauley-Stein extends well and secures the ball, and while he is very good about going right back up with the ball after he gets the rebound, he still has problems finishing around the basket if he’s not dunking the ball. Still, he uses his long arms and ability to get up quickly to beat others to the ball, and no matter where he is on the floor, defenders need to find him and put a body on him. On the defensive end, Cauley-Stein’s numbers may not impress, but he did end up defending on the perimeter often when shots went up, decreasing his opportunities. Even when he is in position around the basket though, he has problems getting pushed around, even by smaller players, and a strong body will often take him out of position.

Transition

It’s not much of an exaggeration to say that not many seven-footers run the floor as well as Cauley-Stein, especially on the offensive break. Whether he gets out in front of the defense or runs one of the lanes, his long strides get him up the floor quickly as he usually just heads towards the basket for a lob. As I mentioned earlier, the lob passes don’t even need to be that good; Cauley-Stein just has a way of getting his hands on any ball above the rim and finishing. Even more impressive is his ability to cover the length of the floor quickly in transition defense, often erasing, or making much more difficult, what seem to be easy fast-break baskets.

Intangibles/Summary

Even if the notion that Cauley-Stein can guard all five positions on the floor is a huge overstatement, he is one of the best, and most unique, defenders college basketball has seen in a long time. At seven-feet tall, Cauley-Stein moves around the perimeter with the agility of a player a half-foot shorter, and his 7’3 wingspan makes both passes and shots difficult. Actually, Cauley-Stein may be a better perimeter defender than post defender, since his lack of strength wasn’t as much of an issue. He certainly did a good job guarding smaller players on the perimeter, taking their driving ability away by playing off and getting his arms out, but even if they could get by him, often the prospect of another shot-blocker waiting for them was a deterrent. If Cauley-Stein did play someone with NBA-speed close on the perimeter, he often did get beat. One of college basketball’s top shot-blockers, he can’t be counted out of any play on defense, often covering ground at unreal speed to make a play on the ball. Cauley-Stein also uses his length well to get and defend in pick-and-roll situations, cutting off many options for the ballhandler, though he has a tendency to stick with them too long without any real pressure, leaving his man often up for a shot. In the post, Cauley-Stein relies on his shot-blocking ability to make a play since he has trouble preventing even much smaller players from backing him down. It’s not always a good strategy, and experienced post players were even able to back him down to the basket area to try and take away his shot-blocking ability. Cauley-Stein’s offensive ability can be impressive, and often confusing, but the big takeaway is that he isn’t necessarily a poor offensive player; he just gets his points in different ways than most big men. His post skills are limited, though he has improved, and he has even shown the ability to knock down mid-range jumpers with a good-looking shot, but he didn’t look to do it often. Watching Cauley-Stein cut to the basket off of guard penetration and go up for a lob was one of college basketball’s great joys over the past few years, and his ability to run the floor and do the same in transition can make him a very dangerous player. Some may take Cauley-Stein’s laid-back attitude as a lack of caring, or “love of the game,” but in three seasons, I can’t recall often looking out on the floor and seeing him not give his all. He was often confused at times, especially on offense; this still happens from time to time if he’s not involved in a play, and he’ll just sort of wander on the perimeter. However, teams should have some questions about why his progress on the offensive end was so limited over three seasons at Kentucky. Was it a problem with Cauley-Stein, how the coaches developed him, or a combination of both? When people discuss Cauley-Stein, it often seems like he is thought of as some kind of raw player who still needs to develop, though he will be 22 years old by the time the next season starts, and was a former high-4 star recruit coming out of high school. As I said in the beginning, Cauley-Stein is a unique player, so preconceived notions need to go out the window with him, but that does give some reason to have some hesitation with how he will transition to the NBA level.

Draft Value: Early-Late Lottery – #4-12

Cauley-Stein’s length and athletic ability, combined with his potential impact on defense, will make him a popular player come Draft night. His versatility on defense will allow coaches to use him in many ways, so even if a team has a traditional big man, Cauley-Stein could easily play alongside them. His offense will be concerning to some, but there is potential there for him to improve his skills in halfcourt offenses, but if you get him on a team that likes to get out and push the ball quickly up the floor, a lot of those concerns should be hidden, or go away. Cauley-Stein is an interesting personality who will be a fan-favorite wherever he goes, even off the floor.

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Scouting Report – Willie Cauley-Stein

By Ed Isaacson | Jun 21, 2015

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