Willie Cauley-Stein joins Italian team; criticizes NBA

One of the most interesting personalities to ever play for Kentucky, Willie Trill Cauley-Stein, has never been shy about speaking his mind, and that does not appear to be changing any time soon. Cauley-Stein will play next season overseas with Openjobmetis Varese, a team in the Italian league, and kicked off his introductory press conference with a few choice words about the NBA:

“I chose to come to Europe because of the more tactical way of playing compared to the one versus one basketball that is played today in the NBA, which is conditioned by the players’ desire to produce personal statistics. Here in Europe every game and every ball is important, not like in the NBA where all 82 games are equal…”

Willie Cauley-Stein, Sportando

Trill isn’t the first basketball player to draw sharp contrasts between the NBA and International basketball. Mavericks superstar, Luka Doncic, famously said it was easier to score more points in the NBA because of the rules and spacing.

Similar to college, there is no defensive three-second violation in Europe, so big guys can camp out with impunity and guard the rim as much as they want. In turn, this leads to a more packed lane and less room for guys like Doncic to do work in space.

The former lottery pick will also get some “Amen!” shouts from members of the Big Blue Nation who cite the league’s propensity for one-on-one play as the reason they aren’t as interested in watching it. While it is true that nearly every NBA team has evolved into a spread-the-floor philosophy, allowing their phenomenal athletes to isolate when possible, the one-on-one style isn’t nearly as prominent as it used to be, with teams like the Golden State Warriors incorporating a tremendous amount of team-oriented basketball (and unreal shooting) into their dynasty run.

This style is not just found in the NBA either. As stated ad nauseam on this website and on the radio, college basketball has followed a similar trend, emphasizing spacing, outside shooting, and layups as the preferred way to score.

NBA regular season games aren’t as important?

As for Cauley-Stein’s critique that an 82-game season diminishes the value of each game, he has a point. The NBA all but admitted as such with the introduction of an in-season tournament, something borrowed (or stolen?) from Europe and other international leagues in all sports, in an attempt to stimulate more excitement during the doldrums of winter.

They even added player financial incentives for this new tournament to elicit more competitiveness and make these games mean more. Will it work? Should college basketball consider something similar? Time will tell, but it is hard to argue against Willie’s point here.

That being said, if he had a contract offer in the NBA, he would most certainly take it.

Cauley-Stein spent the entirety of last season in the G-League, save for a pair of 10-day contracts with the Houston Rockets where he never saw the floor. In 13 regular season games with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, he averaged 8.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.5 blocks.

So, to say he chose to go play in Europe after not seeing time in the NBA last year might be a bit of a stretch, or it might just be a good way to endear himself to his new organization and city. Regardless, it is great to see he found a place where he enjoys and feels like he can contribute on the court.

“Here in Varese, however, I must say that I have found a great organization and strong teammates, I am very happy. I feel a lot of passion from the city and the fans around us; they make me feel like a superstar, which I am not. However, all this support can only help us to step on the court and give our best.”

Willie Cauley-Stein, Sportando