Willie Cauley-Stein and Cameron Payne dropped by the Sacramento Kings practice facility today for a pre-draft workout. A pass-first point guard and a high-flying big man doing what they do best.
Rudy Gay and Ryan Hollins took in the scene from the sidelines as Payne set the table for his giant counterpart. George Karl looked on as his ever expanding staff worked the prospects from one end of the court to the other.
Today’s workout marked the true opening of draft season in Sacramento. Two top-tier athletes put on a show for the team and then met with a news starved media group.
Willie Cauley-Stein
- Age: 21
- Position: Center
- College: Kentucky
- Height: 7′-0.5″
- Weight: 242 lbs.
- Draft Express’ Top 100 Ranking: 6
- Quick Breakdown: A defensive-minded goalie with raw offensive skills and a high octane motor.
Analysis: Cauley-Stein looks like he’s ready to compete at the NBA level today. A true 7-footer, Cauley-Stein has made his money defending the paint while John Calipari’s super athletes score all the points. He boasts a hearty 7-foot-3 wingspan and has a standing reach of 9-foot-3. He is muscular from head-to-toe and looks ready to compete at either the power forward or center position at the pro level.
Known for his hustle and defensive prowess, Cauley-Stein continues to show an ability to step away from the basket and hit the 15 to 18-foot jumper in his workouts.
“I’ve been shooting like that for a while, even at Kentucky I would be in there (at) 12 o’clock, 1 o’clock in the morning shooting jumpers, getting 600 jumpers up a night,” Cauley-Stein said. “Now it’s just that I get to put it into effect and I think a lot of coaches are surprised by it. But my coaches at Kentucky will be the first to tell you that I can shoot the ball, just the fact that I didn’t need to.”
He can play multiple positions and guard almost anyone. For Sacramento he would likely start alongside fellow Kentucky alum DeMarcus Cousins, but then slide to the five with Rudy Gay at the four when the Kings go small.
His athleticism and size weren’t lost on his fellow draft prospect.
“He’s 7-foot, athletic and when we were doing the drills, he was just telling me to throw it up,” Payne said. “That was one of the easiest things I had to do. That’s an easy assist.”
A prototypical “rim runner” for Karl’s system, the Kings would love for Cauley-Stein to drop to sixth overall. On a side note, his mannerisms reminded members of the Sacramento media of DeMarcus Cousins. He is confident, intelligent and extremely honest.
“I didn’t look up to nobody,” Cauley-Stein said. “I don’t compare myself to nobody. I think I bring a unique set of skills that are my skills. I don’t watch Tyson Chandler or DeAndre Jordan. I just do what I do and that’s how I look at it.”
Cameron Payne
- Age: 20
- Position: Guard
- College: Murray State
- Height: 6′-2″
- Weight: 183 lbs.
- Draft Express’ Top 100 Ranking: 20
- Quick Breakdown: A charmer through and through. Payne has charisma and moxie and he knows how to work a room. Is he the next Damian Lillard? Probably not, but he may be the top-flight playmaking point guard the Kings are dreaming of.
Analysis: Payne is an interesting prospect that just keeps climbing the charts. Is he a top six pick? I’m not sure, but he is intriguing teams with his mixture of high basketball IQ and winning personality.
“They brought me out here, so obviously, they’re very interested,” Payne said. “My agent really deals with all of that, but he told me to come out here and do my best and that I was really high on their radar.”
Payne said that he models his game after the league’s best point guards.
“It’s definitely (Rajon) Rondo, Chris Paul and Tony Parker,” Payne said about who he models his game. “They’re the best point guards right now. Chris Paul gets his teammates involved and he’s got a 7-foot DeAndre Jordan to lob it up there. I take a lot of things from each of their games. Tony’s got the floater and Rondo’s got his little fake moves. So I put all of that in my game and trying to make my own Cameron Payne game. ”
You don’t run into many star athletes like Cauley-Stein at a school like Murray State, so today was a treat for Payne. He took full advantage and put his passing skills on display.
“It’s good to work with Cam,” Cauley-Stein said. “We kind of play off each other. His strength and my strengths – being able to run the pick-and-roll with him and show the versatility.”
While Caulie-Stein should be a starter on day one, Payne will have to add strength and earn his minutes as a rookie. Drafting Cauley-Stein opens up the opportunity to make a deal with the glut up front. A move for Payne will add depth, but he will have to beat out Ray McCallum before he even approaches Darren Collison.
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