One of the few reliable contributors from this season, the Sacramento Kings will now be without center Willie Cauley-Stein for at least two games due to a bone bruise in his right knee. Cauley-Stein suffered the injury in Thursday's win over the Miami Heat when his knee collided with Heat' center Hassan Whiteside's knee.
Cauley-Stein's 2017-'18 season demonstrates the 24-year-old's growing role and potential. He averaged 30.5 minutes per night, seeing a steady rise in mutes per game each month of the season, and posted an average of 14.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game over that span. Even in a rotation of four big men with minutes jumbled, Cauley-Stein found ways to make an impact on the offensive and defensive end.
In his absence, Sacramento will turn to Zach Randolph and Kosta Koufos for extended minutes and likely turn towards veteran guards and forwards for Kings' Head Coach David Joerger's plan to rest two-to-three starters every game.
Neither are worth picking up in season-long leagues, though Randolph will be a DFS target given his offensive usage when on the court and his potential to post 15-plus points and 10-plus rebounds.
Cauley-Stein is day-to-day for now and his absence for Sunday and Tuesday's game followed by a two-game break give him a full week to rest. Given Sacramento is in a fight for the No.1 pick and Cauley-Stein is a core part of the team, he could miss even more time than the initial timetable.