The 2014-15 NBA season has officially come to a close; a new champion has been anointed and the draft has concluded. The end of the NBA season is also the unofficial start of the worst five weeks in a sports fan's life as it is the slowest and quietest period of the year. There are some fairly minimal NBA trades that get done and there will be some free agent news to follow; however, there is little drama to this offseason with only Kevin Love and Lamarcus Aldridge creating much intrigue.
This is the fitting time of the year to sum up the NBA draft and profile the incoming lottery selections. eDraft Sports has highlighted the best sleeper picks of the draft and now we move into more in depth analysis of each lottery selection. Granted any true reflection on these players would be much better served after at least a couple seasons of experience; however, we will offer initial reviews and projections for the upcoming season.
With the sixth overall selection in the draft the Sacramento Kings stepped to the podium and announced Willie Cauley-Stein as their selection. This pick did surprise a few pundits as the scuttlebut leading up to the draft was that teams had concerns about Willie's health and his commitment to basketball. None of that seems to matter as the Kings chose to focus in on the big man's versatility and defensive abilities.
Many believed that the Kings would be shopping for a point guard here; however, D'Angelo Russell was long gone and they obviously didn't like what Emmanuel Mudiay would have offered, either that or they were confident in acquiring a more veteran presence to anchor their backcourt via a trade or free agency.
The selection of Willie Cauley-Stein at center definitely addresses a need for the Kings and Willie was widely considered to be the third best center option in the draft behind Karl Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor. What this pick does more than anything is allow for the Kings to move along some veteran and expensive players, clear salary cap space to acquire free agents and provide DeMarcus Cousins with some interior help defensively and on the glass.
Cauley-Stein is a long, big bodied guy who might be a bit slender in terms of body composition to bang with the Dwight Howards of the world, but he will provide excellent mobility and rebounding which is essential in coach George Karl's fast paced offense. Look for Willie to provide minimal offensive numbers as he will not be much of an offensive threat in the offense; however, something around 6.5 ppg and 5.2 rpg is foreseeable so long as he commits to living off the offensive rebounds and putbacks.