To help readers get to know top NBA draft prospects, Insider offers a 360-degree look at many of them in a concise and thorough scouting report featuring three expert perspectives: Kevin Pelton (analytics), Fran Fraschilla (scouting) and Chad Ford (NBA front offices). Here's a look at Willie Cauley-Stein.
WARP Projection: 1.2 (37th among players in top 100)
Comparables: Solomon Alabi (94.7), Larry Sanders (93.6), Jason Thompson (92.6), Kyle O'Quinn (92.5)
Strengths: 2P%, Steal%
Weaknesses: Usage, Shooting, Rebound%
The analytics perspective
Cauley-Stein's statistics suggest he's going to be an outstanding NBA defender. He joins five predecessors in my college database (including fellow Wildcats Anthony Davis and Nerlens Noel) who projected to have a steal rate better than 1.5 percent and a block rate better than 4.0 percent. The one concern about Cauley-Stein at the defensive end is his rebounding. The only 7-footer in my database with a lower projected defensive rebound rate was Cody Zeller.