It’s been a while since a Kings rookie performed to expectations. You’d have to go back to Cousins in 2010 or Tyreke in 2009 to find one that wasn’t disappointing right out of the gate. Jimmer Fredette, Thomas Robinson, Ben McLemore, and Nik Stauskas were all either straight-up bustaroonis or are still trying to figure things out.
Willie Cauley-Stein breaks this unholy cycle by playing exactly as advertised; he’s a springy, defensive center who knows not to do too much on offense. The Kings knew that he wouldn’t be scoring very many points so it’s not even a bad thing that sixteen is his second-best game so far. Sixteen is way more than those other busts could ever score anyway, although, in fairness, they probably would have been less bustalicious if they had Rondo diming them all day.