Mar 28, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Willie Cauley-Stein (15) blocks a shot by Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Steve Vasturia (32) during the first half in the finals of the midwest regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
7. Willie Cauley-Stein, PF, Kentucky
Similar to his Kentucky counterpart, Cauley-Stein is another defensive stalwart who like to get after shots and dominate the paint on defense. However, Cauley-Stein is very limited on offense, basically relying on alley oops and put-backs to get all his points.
If you want to see what it is like to struggle, just watch tape of Cauley-Stein catching the ball in the low post and trying to make a post move against someone his size. And with all those flaws, how could Cauley-Stein be considered one of the 10 best players in this draft?
Well, like I mentioned before, the guy is just an absolute freak on the defensive end of the floor. For starters, Cauley-Stein makes great offensive centers look like him when he bodies them in the post. In addition to his great post defense, he is one heck of a perimeter defender who moves well laterally, making him an ideal big man in today’s pick-and-roll happy NBA.
Not only that, but Cauley-Stein has proven that he can sprint down the floor on both offense and defense, to make a play. If that wasn’t enough, he has proven over the last three seasons that he is a premiere rim protector, averaging 3.6 blocks per 40 minutes over the course of his career. While it remains to be seen whether Cauley-Stein can ever develop a respectable offensive game, he at least projects to be an excellent defender, capable of allowing whatever team he’s on to take chances on defense.
Next: Kristaps Porzingis