Willie Cauley-Stein Earns All-Rookie Team Honors

Mar 27, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein (00) dunks the ball against the Dallas Mavericks in the fourth quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Kings won 133-111. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY.
Mar 27, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein (00) dunks the ball against the Dallas Mavericks in the fourth quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Kings won 133-111. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY. /
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There wasn’t much to be proud about this season for the Sacramento Kings, but some ray of light shined yesterday as Willie Cauley-Stein was awarded honors on the NBA All-Rookie 2nd team in his draft class.

Other players who earned this accolade were Emmanuel Mudiay (Denver Nuggets), D’Angelo Russell (Los Angeles Lakers), Justise Winslow (Miami Heat), and Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers).

For Cauley-Stein, he was able to achieve something that a Kings rookie has not been able to do in recent history. That is to be efficient in his rookie season.

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During his rookie campaign, Cauley-Stein flourished in his role as an energetic rim-protector. He finished the season averaging 7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1 block per game on 56.3% shooting from the floor.

People in the Sacramento Kings community know that Trill was a positive impact for their team this year, so it is great to see that the NBA recognized him as well.

Kings fans, we want to hear from you. What are your thoughts on Trill making the All-Rookie 2nd team for his class? It is the first time a Kings players has achieved this honor since Isaiah Thomas  back in 2012. To express your thoughts on the issue, feel free to partake in our survey that is currently up on our Twitter account.

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Although Willie Cauley-Stein’s stat sheet won’t knock the underpants off anyone, it is nice to know that the NBA was able to recognize that numbers won’t justify the season Trill recently had.

Cauley-Stein is an energizer bunny that is going to be active on both ends of the court, and bottom line is, he is going to be a positive impact for the Kings going forward whether the stats show it or not.