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Golden State Warriors: Expect to see an improved Willie Cauley-Stein

By Justin Fried

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 11: Willie Cauley-Stein #00 of the Sacramento Kings passes the ball against the Washington Wizards in the fist half at Capital One Arena on March 11, 2019 in Washington, DC. 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 Rob Carr/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 11: Willie Cauley-Stein #00 of the Sacramento Kings passes the ball against the Washington Wizards in the fist half at Capital One Arena on March 11, 2019 in Washington, DC. 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 Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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The Golden State Warriors signed Willie Cauley-Stein this offseason to give the team an athletic rim-runner at center. Expect a big year from the former Sacramento Kings big man.

The Golden State Warriors‘ 2019-20 roster will feature many new faces this season and one of those key new pieces figures to be former Sacramento Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein.

Cauley-Stein entered the league to much hype and anticipation back in 2015 as the sixth overall pick in the draft. However, the athletic big man failed to live up to expectations during his four years in Sacramento.

At times, Cauley-Stein was exactly what the Kings wanted him to be. He was an athletic, imposing big man who served as an excellent rim-runner with above-average rebounding skills. And at other times, most of that faded away.

And that’s what made his tenure with the Kings so frustrating. Cauley-Stein clearly has the natural talent to be a star in the NBA, but it just never seemed to click for him. Be it legitimate inconsistencies or general disinterest, Cauley-Stein couldn’t string together many positive games.

Unfortunately, that’s what led to his departure this offseason. However, a change of scenery could be just what Cauley-Stein needed to truly reach his potential.

With Sacramento, Cauley-Stein was the victim of a pretty poor supporting cast during his early years with the team. And even though the Kings were much-improved last season, his style of play just didn’t fit what the team was looking for.

But with Golden State, expect that to change.

The Warriors haven’t had a truly healthy athletic rim-runner type since JaVale McGee was in the Bay Area. And even then, McGee wasn’t as refined of an offensive player as Cauley-Stein is.

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Golden State has kind of gone away from the post-game in recent years with their big men taking a backseat to their star-studded backcourt. But this upcoming season we could see the Warriors big men be more important than ever before.

Star shooting guard Klay Thompson will miss most of the season rehabbing a torn ACL and in his place, the Warriors acquired promising All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell. Russell is a very different player than Thompson — both on offense and defense.

While Thompson is primarily a shooter — and one of the best in NBA history — Russell works well as a facilitator as well as a shooter. And perhaps the biggest change could be Russell’s ability to excel in the pick-and-roll game.

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The Nets got a ton of use out of the pick-and-roll last season with the combination of Russell and center Jarrett Allen proving to be deadly. In fact, Russell was second in the NBA in possessions finished as the pick-and-roll ball-handler.

Meanwhile, Cauley-Stein finished in the top-15 in possessions finished as the roll man — just seven spots behind Russell’s former teammate Allen.

The Kings didn’t make as much use of the pick-and-roll as the Nets did, but the combination of De’Aaron Fox and Cauley-Stein still gave Sacramento a scarily athletic duo to run the offense.

Substituting Fox for Russell and Allen for Cauley-Stein, the Warriors could very well have one of the more refined pick-and-roll duos in the NBA next season.

Now, Golden State hasn’t exactly utilized the pick-and-roll very much in Steve Kerr‘s offensive system. But expect them to make some changes to accommodate the abilities of their new players.

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With Russell and Stephen Curry potentially dishing to him in the post, Cauley-Stein should be given every opportunity to shine as an offensive player this season.

And while his defense has never been his strong suit, playing next to a player like Draymond Green certainly isn’t going to hurt and could help his overall defensive metrics in the long run.

Not to mention the fact that he should be able to grab his fair share of rebounds with the incredibly undersized Warriors starting-five — especially once Thompson returns and presumably plays at the three.

Don’t be surprised to see Cauley-Stein set career-highs in most statistical categories provided he gets the minutes to stand out this season.

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Cauley-Stein won’t be a completely different player with the Warriors, but sometimes all it takes is a change of scenery to truly tap into a player’s full potential.

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