by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings went big in the 2015 NBA Draft when they selected 7-foot, 240-pound center Willie Cauley-Stein from Kentucky with the sixth overall pick. Many draft experts had Cauley-Stein going to the Kings early on, but most had him falling lower on the draft board in recent days. Most experts projected the Kings would select point guard Emmanuel Mudiay if he was available.

Mudiay was available and the Kings went with Cauley-Stein. Mudiay was selected seventh by the Denver Nuggets.

Cauley-Stein is a big man who thinks defense first. He was the first Kentucky player to pull down more than 500 rebounds, block more than 200 shots and record 100 or more steals in the school’s history. He does not need the ball to be a force on the floor.

Many have called Cauley-Stein a game-changer on defense. One his major strengths is the ability to defend against any player on the floor. Of course you would not expect a 7-footer to be guarding a point guard, but scouts say Cauley-Stein can do that.

Cauley-Stein is called a “rim-runner” by many. He is not afraid to work down low in the paint and protect the rim. Having Cauley-Stein working the rim would allow the Kings to use DeMarcus Cousins more on the high-post to take advantage of his great passing and his outside shooting skills.

Cauley-Stein is not without abilities on offense. He can run the floor and be the recipient of outlet passes on fast breaks. He is capable of going on scoring streaks in short spurts.

After his workout in Sacramento, Cauley-Stein said he felt many were overlooking his prowess on offense. Per Cauley-Stein, he did not do that much on offense at Kentucky because the Wildcats did not need him on offense. He also indicated that he is looking forward to developing his offensive game.

For those you who worry about the “hack-a-big-man syndrome” late in NBA games, Cauley-Stein shot 62-percent from the free throw line last season in Kentucky.

Another plus for Cauley-Stein is that he is not a “one-and-done” player. He played three seasons at Kentucky. Cauley-Stein is battle tested at the highest level of collegiate basketball. The big NBA stage should scare him.

One more plus for Cauley-Stein, he is 21-years old. Those two extra years of maturity could helpful when comes time to learn and work in the NBA. He is not just another wide-eyed kid who can handle a basketball. Cauley-Stein has been a leader of young men at Kentucky.

One of things that Kings vice-president of basketball and franchise operations, Vlade Divac, said before the draft was the Kings were not all that interested in players who did not work out for them. Mudiay declined to come to Sacramento. Cauley-Stein made the journey to the Capital City and obviously impressed the Kings brain trust.