New York Knicks
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Ian Begley has reeled off a series of awesome Knicks-related prospect reports over at ESPN.com. Now, he's onto his next one, this time writing about Willie Cauley-Stein and what scouts around the NBA think of him.
The Knicks have the fourth pick in the upcoming draft, but are rumored to be thinking about trading down for a later pick. If they do that, Cauley-Stein could be in their sights.
Here's some of what Begley had to write:
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Click here to read the full piece.
Cauley-Stein averaged 8.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game during his junior season at Kentucky this past year. He is almost a certain top-10 pick.
(H/t to Ian Begley at ESPN.com.)
Photo Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports
Unlike Duke’s Jahlil Okafor or Kentucky teammate Karl Anthony-Towns, Cauley-Stein’s potential on offense is limited.
The former high school wide receiver relies on his athleticism and length. He runs the floor well. But in the triangle, Cauley-Stein would have to be able to pass and offer some kind of scoring, whether out of the post or with a midrange game.
Cauley-Stein has plenty of room for offensive improvement, and he would have to develop his skills to shine in the triangle.
“He’s very challenged offensively,” said MSG Network analyst Wally Szczerbiak, who also is a college basketball analyst for CBS Sports Network. “He’ll pick, he’ll roll and he’ll catch an alley-oop and maybe get some tip dunks. But you can’t throw him the ball in the triangle and ask him to score, you just can’t. I don’t know if he’ll develop a jumper, but he’s been in college a few years now and he hasn't really developed much offensively at all.”
The junior averaged 8.9 points and 6.4 rebounds last season while shooting 57.2 percent from the field on a loaded Kentucky squad.
Unlike Okafor, Cauley-Stein does not have a back-to-the-basket game. And unlike Anthony-Towns, Cauley-Stein does not have much potential to shoot from the perimeter.
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