When Sacramento Kings drafted Kentucky PF/C Willie Cauley-Stein with the sixth overall pick in 2015, the Kings hoped they’d found a defensive anchor who could also develop a strong offensive game. He played sparingly over his first two seasons, until the team traded away DeMarcus Cousins in 2017.
As soon as Cauley-Stein got an opportunity to play significant minutes, he started to flash some of the potential that made him a lottery-pick in 2015.
In his first full season without Cousins in the fold, he started 58 games (73 played) and he averaged 28 minutes per game.