10 young NBA players in need of a breakout season in 2018-19
2. Willie Cauley-Stein, Sacramento Kings
He’ll be a recurring Defensive Player of the Year candidate, they said. He’s worthy of the No. 6 overall draft pick, they said. He’s going to get better offensively and become a difference-maker to turn things around for the poor Sacramento Kings, they said.
Willie Cauley-Stein isn’t hopeless, but he certainly isn’t all the things they said he’d be. Though he posted career highs across the board with 12.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks per game last year, he’s not the elite defender he was pegged to be. Despite his high-flying athleticism and penchant for highlight dunks, he’s barely even a threatening rim-roller.
WCS shot a paltry 50.3 percent from the field last year — a pitiful mark for a seven-foot center who doesn’t take 3s. He converted only 61.9 percent of his free throws, he’s not a great rebounder for his size and now he’s got Harry Giles and Marvin Bagley III gunning for his minutes in the frontcourt. The pressure is on for the 25-year-old with restricted free agency on the horizon.