SACRAMENTO -- Willie Cauley-Stein is stepping into new territory for the Kings. The second-year 7-footer is being asked to do more every single time he steps on the court and on Sunday, he almost came up with the dunk of the NBA season.
With 8.9 remaining on the clock and the Kings trailing by one in their overtime loss to the Utah Jazz, Cauley-Stein caught the ball off a cut and attempted to go over Rudy Gobert for the two-handed hammer. Gobert, who came into the night averaging a league-best 2.5 blocks per game, had nowhere to go as Cauley-Stein extended towards the hoop.
“He’s got to get that one,” veteran point guard Darren Collison said with a smile. “But who am I to talk, I can’t even get up there like that.”
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Gobert had no chance to block the attempt, so he pushed Cauley-Stein in the chest just enough to stop the Kings big from finishing.
“He’s long, he’s long,” Cauley Stein said. “He was able to push me out where I couldn’t reach it.”
The ball caught the front of the rim, bounced twice and spun out. Gobert was called for a foul on the play, which sent Cauley-Stein to the line with a chance to give the Kings the lead.
“I’ve never hit the rim so hard with the ball where it drops, you know what I’m sayin’ - it broke the rim down,” Cauley-Stein added. “I was so mad when it didn’t go in.”
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Cauley-Stein, who had missed two free throws just moments before, stepped to the line and knocked down the freebies to give the Kings a 109-108 lead with under 10 seconds remaining.
“It was a good test,” Cauley-Stein said. “I went straight from nervous to straight assassin - like, let me just make these real quick.”
The 23-year-old big didn’t stop with the dunk attempt and made free throws. His defense on George Hill during the final possession caused the veteran to airball what could have been the final shot. Gobert beat the Kings with a tip in as time expired, sending Sacramento to their fourth straight loss.
“Willie’s a fighter, his confidence is real high,” Collison said. “He feels like he can play with any big in this league. The way he’s playing, he’s playing at a high level. He’s playing not just for himself but for his teammates. He’s a promising talent.”
He’s a work in progress, but the growth in Cauley-Stein is very noticeable. He finished the game against Utah with 15 points and nine rebounds in 39 minutes of action. He’ll draw another up and coming big man Monday night when the Kings travel to Denver to take on Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets on the second night of a back-to-back.