What Willie Cauley-Stein brings to the Philadelphia 76ers

Derrick Favors isn’t a member of the Philadelphia 76ers… yet.

Could the current Thunderman still end up in red, white, and blue before the March 1st deadline for waived players to be playoff eligible? Sure, the process of securing a buyout can be complicated, especially when one has a $10.18 million players option for the next season on the books. But in the meantime, the Sixers can’t simply sit around and wait.

Sidebar: Okay, technically the Sixers can sit around and wait if they want, but an open roster spot is a horrible thing to waste.

So what did Daryl Morey and company opt to do? Well, they rolled up their sleeves, scoured the markets, and, according to John Clark, secured a Favors-esque performer on a 10-day contract who can fill up the stat sheet and eat up minutes when Joel Embiid is off the court.

Willie Cauley-Stein, welcome to the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Philadelphia 76ers landed a stopgap 7-footer in Willie Cauley-Stein.

Historically, teams don’t employ Willie Cauley-Stein because of his offensive game.

A player once compared to Samuel Dalembert coming out of Kentucky, Cauley-Stein doesn’t take 3s, shoot long 2s, or attempt more than 2.2 free throws per game on average. While he does have some scheme flexibility, as he played alongside both Julius Randle and Karl-Anthony Towns over his three year run with the Wildcats, at the professional level, it’s hard to really run WCS anywhere but the center spot, and even there, the limitations of his game is a big reason why the sixth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft is on his fourth NBA team since the 2018-19 season.

With that being said, you don’t sign, trade, or draft Cauley-Stein because he’s the next KAT. No, even back at Kentucky, Cauley-Stein’s calling cards were his position flexible defense, his gifts as a screen setter, and his ability to cash in lobs for two points around the rim.

Hmm… do the Philadelphia 76ers have a player who likes big men who can switch on defense, set screens in the pick-and-roll game, and catch lobs around the rim? They do? You don’t say?

On paper, Cauley-Stein’s fit alongside James Harden is obvious. He’s not too dissimilar to Clint Capela in terms of his on-court game, and at 28, he has played in 353 more games than Charles Bassey and Paul Reed combined. For a week and a half, or until a “better” player becomes available on the open market, the idea of bringing Cauley-Stein to town Tyler Johnson-style has very little downside, as he can be waived at any point if things go poorly or signed to a single, or even multi-year deal if he balls out like Charlie Brown Jr. before him.

In a world where the Sixers really want a fourth dedicated center, landing Cauley-Stein at the league minimum is a good, though slightly surprising get.

Are the Philadelphia 76ers a better team with Willie Cauley-Stein on the roster? Yes, marginally speaking, having a veteran 7-footer with 426 total NBA games on his resume is better than an empty roster spot. Will Cauley-Stein still be on the roster on March 2nd? That, my friends, is a very different question and will largely depend on how well he meshes with the rest of his new teammates over the next 10 days and whether or not a player the franchise likes better becomes available before the deadline. Either way, it should be fun to see how things play out.