Sir Charles in Charge
Fansided

NBA: Little things worth appreciating for league’s strugglers

By Jacob Doole

TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 19: Justin Holiday #7 of the Chicago Bulls looks on during to the first half of an NBA game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre on October 19, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 19: Justin Holiday #7 of the Chicago Bulls looks on during to the first half of an NBA game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre on October 19, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 04: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks shoots a three defended by Willie Cauley-Stein #00 of the Sacramento Kings during the second half at Madison Square Garden on December 4, 2016 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 04: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks shoots a three defended by Willie Cauley-Stein #00 of the Sacramento Kings during the second half at Madison Square Garden on December 4, 2016 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Sacramento Kings (3-11): Willie Cauley-Stein’s imaginary world

It’s been a tough start to the season for Sacramento. They’ve already suffered through a seven-game losing streak, and their strange mix of youth and (very old) veterans hasn’t jelled yet.

But do not despair, Kings fans; there’s a place you can go to escape from all of this darkness and drudgery.

Follow me to the world inside Willie Cauley-Stein’s mind.

Just check out these quotes from the young center following Saturday’s loss to the Knicks, as per Yahoo Sports:

"“Guarding him (Porzingis), and then watching his game, you take away, oh, this is what he’s doing. I have the same body size, the same skill level.” “This league’s all about situations. I went to a situation where I was playing behind the best center in the league, or I could’ve gone to somewhere where they don’t have a guy, and now you’re the guy, and you’re getting all the touches. That helps a lot."

Wow. There’s a lot to unpack there from just four sentences.

First of all, Cauley-Stein thinks he has the same skill level at Porzingis, one of the superstars of the season thus far.

He also seems to imply that if he had been drafted by the Knicks (as many experts thought should have happened), then he would be playing just as well as Porzingis.

That’s kind of incredible. I don’t think I’ve seen many people with that level of self-confidence before, however unrealistic it may be.

His comment about teams that don’t have “a guy” is interesting too. Yes, he was drafted to a team with DeMarcus Cousins, who led the lead in usage rate in the Cauley-Stein and Porzingis’ first season in 2015/16 (35.4).

But Porzingis played with Carmelo Anthony, who was twelfth in the league for usage that season (29.7). I think it’s safe to say that he was “the guy” in New York, and it hasn’t affected the growth of Porzingis and his skills.

It’s hard not to admire Cauley-Stein’s self-belief in spite of the overwhelming evidence against him.

Here’s a quick comparison of the two players this season:

Cauley-Stein: 8.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.0 blocks, 47.9% FG, 0.0% 3FG

Porzingis: 29.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.5 steals, 2.2 blocks, 49.8% FG, 41.0% 3FG

I’d say that’s a pretty convincing win for Porzingis.

And in their head-to-head matchup on Saturday?

Porzingis scored 34 points on 11-for-21 shooting with four made threes.

Cauley-Stein scored five points and had five fouls in just 16 minutes.

Yes, if Kings fans could live in the world inside Cauley-Steins mind, they’d surely enjoy the season a lot more. And they’d surely come out and challenge Porzingis to a game of one-on-one, too.

Home/NBA News