Among the tattoos on the right side of Willie Cauley-Stein’s neck is one famous phrase.
Hakuna Matata.
No worries.
It’s a large part of how he views the pre-draft process.
“I see myself as the No. 1 player in the draft, but it is what it is,” said the 7-foot, 240-pound former Kentucky standout. “You can just take it day-by-day, put in the work and the draft is going to be the outcome of whatever the draft is.”
Is he mad at not being mentioned in the same breath with former Wildcats teammate Karl-Anthony Towns or Duke star Jalil Okafor, the first two players expected to be chosen.
“You can’t get mad about it,” he said. “You just gotta work for it.”
Hakuna Matata.
It’s not clear whether Cauley-Stein will be on the board when the Nuggets seventh overall pick comes up, or even if the team would select him if he was available. He worked out for the Nuggets on Monday.
Cauley-Stein’s biggest asset is his defensive ability. He’s arguably the best and most versatile defensive player in the draft, and if you’re looking for a comparison think of a taller Kenyon Martin, the former Nuggets forward.
Cauley-Stein is a shot blocker who can steal the ball as well. He’s long and athletic and quick. He’s perfect in situations where the defense is switching on screens because he can guard pretty much any player on the court. He’s got good hands, as evidenced by his background as a top-flight wide receiver in high school, where he caught 14 touchdown passes and had 1,140 receiving yards as a senior.
He played three years at Kentucky, and this past season he showed up on pretty much everyone’s all-defensive team, and he was named AP first team all-America. He’s the first player in Kentucky’s tradition-rich history to block 200 or more shots and have 100 or more steals.
He’s going to help a team immediately at the defensive end.
Offensively, Cauley-Stein remains a work in progress, and that’s the only thing keeping him from being considered a top-tier prospect in this draft. He was able to show an improved jump shot in the Nuggets workout Monday, both from mid-range and out to the 3-point line, even though he’ll likely not take that shot in the pros.
“I showed today that I’ve got good mechanics on the shot,” he said. “Showing that I’m confident in my shot and I can consistently make it.”
He said he has “kind of” seen teams put him through a battery of offensive challenges in order to get a grasp on just how far he’s come on that end.
“I feel like they do the same thing for everybody, though,” Cauley-Stein said. “They put you through the same drills, it’s just to see if you can do the same move over and over and over, and make or miss you’re doing it with confidence.”
Christopher Dempsey: cdempsey@denverpost.com or
