How will Willie be used this season:

[bajaden]

I haven't seen this posted anywhere yet, so if has, then pull this thread down. There has been some discussion on the forum about Willie's summer league performance, and how many minutes he get, along with how will he be played. Well here is an article with videos that does a good job of highlighting his pluses and minuses along with how he should best be used. I didn't find much to disagree with in the article.

http://upsidemotor.com/2016/09/29/w...ly&utm_source=FanSided+Daily&utm_medium=email

 

[kingsboi]

hopefully as a center who patrols the paint and grabs rebounds with better efficiency, i.e. boxing your man out properly to secure the rebound and not running around like a chicken when defending pick and rolls.

 

[ockingsfan]

With Joerger declaring that the kings will be playing very aggressive defense, I don't see how WCS doesn't start at power forward.

I can see him defending almost all 5 spots at times during a game.

 

[206Fan]

Very good article and overall breakdown.
I think Willie is the type of player who would be great as a backup C that provides a spark on defense. Similar to JaValee McGee.

I don't think he fits next to Cousins on offense. I think this is something that we can all agree on. In the first 2 videos showing him and Cousins together, you can see Willie just floating around the low post. The paint becomes extremely clogged by the time Cousins even reaches to the paint. He he also forces Cousins to play more out in the perimeter. The video highlights Cousins' ability to stretch the floor, but that's not a very efficient part of his game.

Let's just compare some of Cousins scoring stats from his most efficient year, to this year:

2014

• FG% within 5ft
  • 60% [377/628]
• Layup shot
  • 56.9% [132/232]
• Driving layup
  • 81% [51/63]
• Jump shot
  • 29.9% [158/528]

2016

• FG% within 5ft
  • 55.6% [374/673]
• Layup shot
  • 44.8% [95/212]
• Driving layup
  • 59.1% [75/127]
• Jump shot
  • 28.6% [162/567]

Just from these few samples, I think we can see that Cousins would benefit a lot more from a floor spacer than Willie. His jumpshot game is not strong enough to warrant all of those shots, so maybe he should be playing inside a lot more. His driving layups have increased by 2x as much, but his efficiency has decreased.

I think Willie would benefit most by a Koufos trade. He could play short stints with Cousins for defensive purposes, but would excel largely in a backup role where floor spacing and a high paced offense would suit him. I could see a Lawson/WCS PnR be really deadly. Willie does a good job setting picks and quickly rolling over to the basket. Lawson is a great playmaker who knows how to shoot the ball and that'll open up the floor a lot more.

I think Willie will begin the season as a starter, but will eventually be moved to the bench because guys like Gay, Barnes, Casspi, and Tolliver fit better on offense.

I think WCS can secure the starting job if he shows any life of a consistent jumpshot. I think Willie's goal should be working on become a jumpshooter rather than a back to the basket game. He'd make a lot of money as a 3&D PF/C, and it's exactly what we need next to Cousins.

 

[Kingster]

So he's not a great complement to Cousins on offense because Cousins is essentially relegated to the high post (I vaguely remember hearing that somewhere) , and he's a very good dive pick and roll guy who just lost Rondo, the guard who can get it to him in those situations. I just want to see how Coach is going to use him; it will give an insight to how he sees the strengths and weaknesses of WCS on offense.

As far as defense, which this analysis doesn't cover much, I thought he wasn't the the defender that many thought he would be. He certainly didn't scare people out there; I don't think I saw one opposing player the entire year "peaking" to see where the awesome shot blocker was on the Kings. If there's one area where I hope Coach can help WCS is on defense. He's got to be able to play stretch fours one-on-one in space and largely shut them down to help this team win. He wasn't close to doing that last year.

 

[Dime Dropper]

So he's not a great complement to Cousins on offense because Cousins is essentially relegated to the high post (I vaguely remember hearing that somewhere) , and he's a very good dive pick and roll guy who just lost Rondo, the guard who can get it to him in those situations. I just want to see how Coach is going to use him; it will give an insight to how he sees the strengths and weaknesses of WCS on offense.

As far as defense, which this analysis doesn't cover much, I thought he wasn't the the defender that many thought he would be. He certainly didn't scare people out there; I don't think I saw one opposing player the entire year "peaking" to see where the awesome shot blocker was on the Kings. If there's one area where I hope Coach can help WCS is on defense. He's got to be able to play stretch fours one-on-one in space and largely shut them down to help this team win. He wasn't close to doing that last year.

He has more tools defensively than anyone else in the league in terms of being able to both guard stretch fours and protect the paint. He was a rookie. Give him a couple more years. He has a very rare skillset/physical profile.

 

[bajaden]

So he's not a great complement to Cousins on offense because Cousins is essentially relegated to the high post (I vaguely remember hearing that somewhere) , and he's a very good dive pick and roll guy who just lost Rondo, the guard who can get it to him in those situations. I just want to see how Coach is going to use him; it will give an insight to how he sees the strengths and weaknesses of WCS on offense.

As far as defense, which this analysis doesn't cover much, I thought he wasn't the the defender that many thought he would be. He certainly didn't scare people out there; I don't think I saw one opposing player the entire year "peaking" to see where the awesome shot blocker was on the Kings. If there's one area where I hope Coach can help WCS is on defense. He's got to be able to play stretch fours one-on-one in space and largely shut them down to help this team win. He wasn't close to doing that last year.

Bear in mind that no one on the Kings looked good on defense last season. That had more to do with Karl's defensive schemes, than it did individual abilities. There were times when I had no idea what anyone was doing out there. I think that will change this season and you'll get a chance to see what Willie can really do. In regards to 206's comments, that we can all agree that Willie is best suited for a backup role, we don't all agree. Too early to make that call.

 

[Gliesian]

Very good article and overall breakdown.
I think Willie is the type of player who would be great as a backup C that provides a spark on defense. Similar to JaValee McGee.

I don't think he fits next to Cousins on offense. I think this is something that we can all agree on. In the first 2 videos showing him and Cousins together, you can see Willie just floating around the low post. The paint becomes extremely clogged by the time Cousins even reaches to the paint. He he also forces Cousins to play more out in the perimeter. The video highlights Cousins' ability to stretch the floor, but that's not a very efficient part of his game.

Let's just compare some of Cousins scoring stats from his most efficient year, to this year:

2014

• FG% within 5ft
  • 60% [377/628]
• Layup shot
  • 56.9% [132/232]
• Driving layup
  • 81% [51/63]
• Jump shot
  • 29.9% [158/528]

2016

• FG% within 5ft
  • 55.6% [374/673]
• Layup shot
  • 44.8% [95/212]
• Driving layup
  • 59.1% [75/127]
• Jump shot
  • 28.6% [162/567]

Just from these few samples, I think we can see that Cousins would benefit a lot more from a floor spacer than Willie. His jumpshot game is not strong enough to warrant all of those shots, so maybe he should be playing inside a lot more. His driving layups have increased by 2x as much, but his efficiency has decreased.

I think Willie would benefit most by a Koufos trade. He could play short stints with Cousins for defensive purposes, but would excel largely in a backup role where floor spacing and a high paced offense would suit him. I could see a Lawson/WCS PnR be really deadly. Willie does a good job setting picks and quickly rolling over to the basket. Lawson is a great playmaker who knows how to shoot the ball and that'll open up the floor a lot more.

I think Willie will begin the season as a starter, but will eventually be moved to the bench because guys like Gay, Barnes, Casspi, and Tolliver fit better on offense.

I think WCS can secure the starting job if he shows any life of a consistent jumpshot. I think Willie's goal should be working on become a jumpshooter rather than a back to the basket game. He'd make a lot of money as a 3&D PF/C, and it's exactly what we need next to Cousins.

100% agree. I could see a scenario where we package Gay and Koufos for a PF. I think Casspi is ready to start.

 

[Bricklayer]

With Joerger declaring that the kings will be playing very aggressive defense, I don't see how WCS doesn't start at power forward.

I can see him defending almost all 5 spots at times during a game.

He works there, but then again, almost all of our PF candidates, such as they are, work on the same principle. Barnes, possibly Omri, Tolliver etc.

 

[Kingsfan23]

He's going to have to earn what time he gets

At the 4/5 Cousins/Koufos/Tolliver/Barnes/Gay/Casspi/even Skal (who I'm in love with)

Koufos will be looking for time. He is in great shape and did well under Joerger in Memphis

Typically I consider myself a positivist/homer type.. I believe Cousins can be top 5, Skal has all star potential, Ben can still play, Omri is quality starter material, Darren is quality starter, yadda yadda.. With that said, I'm not over the moon with Willie yet. He has abundant natural talent, on both sides even, but I'm not in love with his work rate so to speak. Showing up last season and summer league out of condition etc. Which in turn makes me have questions regarding his future as an older rookie

The one thing I get a feeling is that Joerger won't tolerate it, the rebounding, the not getting out on shooters.. I can see a rotation that squeezes him easily if he's not ready this year

Collison/Lawson
McLemore/Afflalo
Gay/Casspi
Tolliver(or Casspi starts)/Barnes
Cousins/Koufos

Joerger said in one of the interviews the rotation might be a strong 8 with a couple others getting minutes, and there are a lot of vets looking for time (possibly why Rudy may have been shopped)

If there is the slightest of Willie not working hard as in the summer, he might get lost in the shuffle. If he starts to live up to his potential he is the third big. Prove my doubts wrong Trill

 

[206Fan]

So he's not a great complement to Cousins on offense because Cousins is essentially relegated to the high post (I vaguely remember hearing that somewhere) , and he's a very good dive pick and roll guy who just lost Rondo, the guard who can get it to him in those situations. I just want to see how Coach is going to use him; it will give an insight to how he sees the strengths and weaknesses of WCS on offense.

As far as defense, which this analysis doesn't cover much, I thought he wasn't the the defender that many thought he would be. He certainly didn't scare people out there; I don't think I saw one opposing player the entire year "peaking" to see where the awesome shot blocker was on the Kings. If there's one area where I hope Coach can help WCS is on defense. He's got to be able to play stretch fours one-on-one in space and largely shut them down to help this team win. He wasn't close to doing that last year.

Willie is a lot better defensive player than shown last year. Karl and his wonky scheme made everyone look worse than they are. I think he has all of the tools to become a good rim protector, not just a shot blocker. His combo of athleticism and quickness will make it possible for him to help on D, but recover back to his man quickly if needed. I don't think he's the guy who people say can guard positions 1-5, but he's one of the rare bigs who would do a good job if switched onto a PG.

I imagine that Joerger will make him into a really good defender.

 

[sono]

When Joerger goes for smallball, Willie is best utilized, him playing as a backup C and Omri or Skal (if his jumpshot is legit) as strech 4. I can't picture Koufos in there.

 

[bajaden]

He's going to have to earn what time he gets

At the 4/5 Cousins/Koufos/Tolliver/Barnes/Gay/Casspi/even Skal (who I'm in love with)

Koufos will be looking for time. He is in great shape and did well under Joerger in Memphis

Typically I consider myself a positivist/homer type.. I believe Cousins can be top 5, Skal has all star potential, Ben can still play, Omri is quality starter material, Darren is quality starter, yadda yadda.. With that said, I'm not over the moon with Willie yet. He has abundant natural talent, on both sides even, but I'm not in love with his work rate so to speak. Showing up last season and summer league out of condition etc. Which in turn makes me have questions regarding his future as an older rookie

The one thing I get a feeling is that Joerger won't tolerate it, the rebounding, the not getting out on shooters.. I can see a rotation that squeezes him easily if he's not ready this year

Collison/Lawson
McLemore/Afflalo
Gay/Casspi
Tolliver(or Casspi starts)/Barnes
Cousins/Koufos

Joerger said in one of the interviews the rotation might be a strong 8 with a couple others getting minutes, and there are a lot of vets looking for time (possibly why Rudy may have been shopped)

If there is the slightest of Willie not working hard as in the summer, he might get lost in the shuffle. If he starts to live up to his potential he is the third big. Prove my doubts wrong Trill

I have followed Willie's career since highschool, and if there's one commonly known fact about him, is that he's a very hard worker. George Karl is the one that made that comment last season and everyone took off with it. Did Willie look out of shape to you? There's a difference between being a rookie, and lacking the stamina required for the NBA, and showing up overweight and out of shape. I think Karl was using that as an excuse for not playing him. The very last thing in the world I'm worried about with Willie is his being out of shape.

 

[bajaden]

Willie is a lot better defensive player than shown last year. Karl and his wonky scheme made everyone look worse than they are. I think he has all of the tools to become a good rim protector, not just a shot blocker. His combo of athleticism and quickness will make it possible for him to help on D, but recover back to his man quickly if needed. I don't think he's the guy who people say can guard positions 1-5, but he's one of the rare bigs who would do a good job if switched onto a PG.

I imagine that Joerger will make him into a really good defender.

I agree! Willie is one of the best pick and roll defenders I have ever seen coming out of college. And I'm talking about big men. He was also one of the best help defenders at Kentucky. But he has to be used the right way. Time and time again at Kentucky, Calipari would put Willie on a player that was killing them, whether it was a PG,SG, SF, etc, and that player would struggle the rest of the game.

No one, and I mean no one with any knowledge of Willie questioned his ability to defend coming out of college. The only questions were about his offensive ceiling. Those questions still remain and hopefully he'll answer some of them this season.

 

[Kingster]

Bear in mind that no one on the Kings looked good on defense last season. That had more to do with Karl's defensive schemes, than it did individual abilities. There were times when I had no idea what anyone was doing out there. I think that will change this season and you'll get a chance to see what Willie can really do. In regards to 206's comments, that we can all agree that Willie is best suited for a backup role, we don't all agree. Too early to make that call.

And that's why my comment focused on defending stretch 4s one-on-one in space. Whereas "helping out" is largely dependent upon scheme and coordination and coaching, defending one on one in space is the area affected the least by coaching and scheme. I would have thought and Kentucky and even in high school he would learn the fundamental of man on man defense in space. You either defend the guy in space or you don't. If WCS can't defend stretch 4s in space then what is going to be his major calling card?

 

[jcassio]

100% agree. I could see a scenario where we package Gay and Koufos for a PF. I think Casspi is ready to start.

100% disagree. McGee is a complete low IQ player with great physical gifts. WCS is going to become a high IQ player with great physical gifts.

 

[King Baller]

And that's why my comment focused on defending stretch 4s one-on-one in space. Whereas "helping out" is largely dependent upon scheme and coordination and coaching, defending one on one in space is the area affected the least by coaching and scheme. I would have thought and Kentucky and even in high school he would learn the fundamental of man on man defense in space. You either defend the guy in space or you don't. If WCS can't defend stretch 4s in space then what is going to be his major calling card?

I'm curious why you think WCS cannot defend stretch 4's?

 

[macadocious]

I'm curious why you think WCS cannot defend stretch 4's?

he struggled with them last year. I think that had part to do with the switching sagging defense. Willie got shot over at a much higher rate than I would have expected last year considering his length and quickness.

 

[HighFlyingMonkey]

I feel like Willie is the one most likely to get shafted by the Kings' logjam at the 3/4/5. Rudy and Cousins will get their minutes as the best players on the team. Casspi is too good not to play. And the Kings shelled out too much cash to Tolliver and Barnes for either to be benched. WCS has to beat out Koufos to get minutes, and given Kosta's experience I don't see it happening.

Until there is a Rudy or Koufos trade, expect WCS to ride the pine for the time being. Someone has to lose out and Willie is the prime candidate.

 

[King Baller]

he struggled with them last year. I think that had part to do with the switching sagging defense. Willie got shot over at a much higher rate than I would have expected last year considering his length and quickness.

Which stretch 4's went off while being defended by WCS?

 

[miltonap]

Which stretch 4's went off while being defended by WCS?

Mainly Ryno

 

[bajaden]

And that's why my comment focused on defending stretch 4s one-on-one in space. Whereas "helping out" is largely dependent upon scheme and coordination and coaching, defending one on one in space is the area affected the least by coaching and scheme. I would have thought and Kentucky and even in high school he would learn the fundamental of man on man defense in space. You either defend the guy in space or you don't. If WCS can't defend stretch 4s in space then what is going to be his major calling card?

I say this with all honesty. I really have no idea what your talking about. Your probably the only person on the planet that thinks Willie can't defend opposition PF's. Is he perfect? No. But everyone makes a mistake now and then. Last season there were many times when Willie was stuck trying to figure out which of two open players he should defend because someone else missed an assignment. Seldom last season did Willie get an assignment where he was purely one on one with another PF. Any player can be beat off the dribble on occasion, but that doesn't make them incapable or a bad defender. Just ask Gary Payton, a great defender who got left in the dust by J. Will. Was Payton suddenly a bad defender? Was Payton now incapable of guarding other PG's?

Do you honestly think that Willie got his reputation by not being able to defend PF's? Watch the last play of the Kentucky/Notre Dame game in the NCAA tournament when with 6 or 7 seconds left in the game Notre Dame needed a basket to win. The Notre Dame PG, Jerian Grant, the 19th pick in that same draft, tried to shake and bake Willie to get a shot off and ended up throwing up a high arching shot with no chance from the left corner. With the game on the line, where you don't move on if you lose, who did Calipari put on Grant? Willie Cauley-Stein! Why? Because he was the best defender on the team.

Where Willie will struggle on occasion is in one on one defense in the post against a big strong center. Willie needs to get stronger, and will in time. But there isn't a big man in the league quicker than him. Anthony Davis might be as quick. The stretch fours that might have the ballhandling skills to give Willie a problem you can probably count on one hand. The rest of it is just experience and getting to know the players he's going up against. Learning how much space he can give a certain player. How quick a players release is. Does he like to go right or left. All that comes from experience. Knowledge is as important as ability. You need both, and you don-'t acquire it in one year in the NBA.

 

[ElRey]

Which stretch 4's went off while being defended by WCS?

Only one I really remember was Ryan Anderson. But then again he torched whole Kings team.

 

[bajaden]

I feel like Willie is the one most likely to get shafted by the Kings' logjam at the 3/4/5. Rudy and Cousins will get their minutes as the best players on the team. Casspi is too good not to play. And the Kings shelled out too much cash to Tolliver and Barnes for either to be benched. WCS has to beat out Koufos to get minutes, and given Kosta's experience I don't see it happening.

Until there is a Rudy or Koufos trade, expect WCS to ride the pine for the time being. Someone has to lose out and Willie is the prime candidate.

Well I don't have coffee with Joerger in the morning, so I have no inside info. But both Joerger and Vlade has stated that Willie is an important part of the future. For that reason alone, I think Willie will get 20 plus minutes this season. I could be wrong, but I'll be very surprised if I'am. Also, in the interest of Keeping Cousins happy, I think they'll try and get Willie on the floor. It was Cousins along with Rondo that went to Karl last year to lobby him for more minutes for Willie.

 

[bajaden]

Only one I really remember was Ryan Anderson. But then again he torched whole Kings team.

Yeah, that was a learning experience for Willie. He gave Ryan too much space. Don't know if that was the game plan, or just his inexperience. I suspect he learned something from it.

 

[King Baller]

Yeah Ryan Anderson played great against the Kings last year. If I remember correctly Karl's defensive strategy was to allow other teams to shoot from the 3 point line.

 

[Sac.Kings]

Yeah Ryan Anderson played great against the Kings last year. If I remember correctly Karl's defensive strategy was to allow other teams to shoot from the 3 point line.

Ugh, don't remind me. Instantly feel sick to my stomach.

 

[gunks]

Yeah Ryan Anderson played great against the Kings last year. If I remember correctly Karl's defensive strategy was to allow other teams to shoot from the 3 point line.

Hahaha. .... I still can't believe that. In today's NBA, no less. Dude was definitely trying to get fired from the start!

 

[kingsboi]

he struggled with them last year. I think that had part to do with the switching sagging defense. Willie got shot over at a much higher rate than I would have expected last year considering his length and quickness.

So we should judge Willie based off last year, as a rookie and under a head coach where his defensive principles included switching every single pick and roll and having defense as an afterthought...let's see what Joerger does with him.

 

[kingsboi]

Only one I really remember was Ryan Anderson. But then again he torched whole Kings team.

Any shooter torches the whole Kings team last season, I hope that is a dying trend this season.