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NBA: Top 10 Candidates For Rookie Of The Year In 2015-16

By Gerald Bourguet

Jul 14, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis (46) wins the opening tip off of an NBA Summer League game over Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 14, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis (46) wins the opening tip off of an NBA Summer League game over Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Willie Cauley-Stein (Kentucky) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number six overall pick to the Sacramento Kings in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

6. Willie Cauley-Stein

For most of his prime, Kosta Koufos‘ place in the league has been difficult to pinpoint as a center who’s probably not good enough to be a starter but a little too overqualified to be a backup. Why is this important to Willie Cauley-Stein‘s chances of winning ROY? Well, because the way that head coach George Karl sees Koufos will easily influence Cauley-Stein’s candidacy.

Knowing what we know about the former Denver Nuggets coach, it’s highly unlikely the Sacramento Kings will be giving the lion’s share of those frontcourt minutes to a rookie rather than an experienced former Nugget. However, whether the Kings envision WCS as a 4 or a 5, they’d be more likely to start Omri Casspi or Rudy Gay at the 4 over him to start the season anyway.

WCS’ strong Summer League proved he’s already the best and most versatile defender in this year’s draft class. Averaging 11.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game, Cauley-Stein was a problem for opposing teams’ pick-and-roll sets and what seemed like an open path to the basket often turned into a rejection that came out of nowhere.

The problem is Cauley-Stein is a rookie who might not be a perfect fit around center DeMarcus Cousins, another player who is at his most effective operating in the paint. Koufos does little to alleviate those spacing issues, but in a crowded frontcourt, WCS might not get enough minutes for his impressive defensive numbers to truly stand out.

Next: No. 5