A bit sour Willie Cauley-Stein ? For his first statement to the media, since his arrival at the Italian club Pallacanestro Varèse, the former Kings prospect engaged in a comparison exercise between the Great League and Europe.
“ When I chose to come to Italy, I forced myself not to have expectations, it was my choice because there is often the risk of being disappointed », begins by delivering the 6th choice of the 2015 Draft, praising the quality of the structure of his new club as well as his teammates.
“ I chose to come to Europe because of the more ‘tactical’ way of playing compared to the one-on-one basketball practiced today in the NBA and which is conditioned by the players’ desire to produce personal statistics », then denounces the 30-year-old player who, before making this “choice”, was in total loss of momentum in the American championship.
He produced less and less “personal stats”. In 2021/2022, he only played 20 matches, then last season, he never managed to come into play despite a chance offered by the Rockets, showing himself especially in the G-League. Whereas a few years earlier, he had flirted with the double-double average over one season (2019) in Sacramento.
“ Here in Europe, every game and every ball is important, unlike the NBA where all 82 games are equal », Says the insider again, this time targeting the tighter timetable in Europe than in the United States.
As for the relationship with the European public, he claims to have felt “ a lot of passion from the city and the fans behind us; they make me feel like a superstar, which I’m not. However, all this support can only help us get on the pitch and give our best “.
