The Houston Rockets, in Year 3 of their rebuild, remain stuck as the league's basement-dwellers. In fact, on Sunday night, their tough 2022-23 campaign, in which they have won just 13 of their 60 games, just got a bit tougher. They allowed 71 points to Damian Lillard – a career-high for the Portland Trail Blazers star – on 80.4 percent true shooting en route to a 131-114 defeat.
In the aftermath, the Rockets – owners of the league's second worst defense in terms of points allowed per 100 possessions – have deemed it fit to make some necessary moves to bolster their frontcourt. Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Rockets are signing center Willie Cauley-Stein to a 10-day contract.
Cauley-Stein has not played in the NBA yet this season, having spent the entirety of the 2022-23 campaign thus far playing for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets' G-League affiliate. In 16 games with the Vipers, the 29-year old center averaged 6.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.9 blocks in 24.1 minutes per night.
The sixth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Willie Cauley-Stein last played in the NBA for the Philadelphia 76ers on March 3, 2022 after he signed a 10-day contract with the team following his departure from the Dallas Mavericks.
The addition of Cauley-Stein will give the Rockets another backup center to compete for minutes behind Alperen Sengun. At the moment, the Rockets are relying on Usman Garuba, Boban Marjanovic, and Jabari Smith Jr. to fill that role.
Cauley-Stein's defensive versatility was what made him such a highly-touted prospect in 2015. However, his defensive production from his days in Kentucky hasn't quite translated into the NBA.
Nonetheless, Cauley-Stein should have a golden opportunity in front of him as he tries to fight for his place in the league.
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