Mavericks: Willie Cauley-Stein on Luka Doncic, returning to Dallas, & more

Dallas Mavericks: Willie Cauley-Stein on returning to Dallas, Luka Doncic, and more

The Dallas Mavericks improved their roster this offseason. They focused on upgrading their defense and toughness around stars Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. Trading for Josh Richardson and James Johnson should accomplish that. The Mavs also re-signed Trey Burke, J.J. Barea, and Willie Cauley-Stein.

Cauley-Stein got a two-year $8.2 million deal with the second season being a team option. Dallas needed another big man with Kristaps Porzingis out to begin the season. Trill is excited to showcase his offseason improvement for the Mavericks in 2021.

The 27-year-old big man sat down with Chris Henderson for an interview on Nov. 24. The two discussed a plethora of topics including plenty on the Mavs. Let us take a look at the highlights.

Willie Cauley-Stein on Luka Doncic, returning to the Dallas Mavericks, and more

See Hendo asked about his decision to re-sign with the Mavs. Cauley-Stein immediately got excited. He talked about working hard to get the trust of Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle and owner Mark Cuban. He also discussed the freedom he feels playing in Dallas before saying, “I am right where I wanted to be”.

Cuban chimed in on the video with a question from Twitter about Cauley-Stein’s developing 3-point shot. See Trill’s answer below.

"“It is not just all of the sudden. I’ve been working on it since college under the table with coach (Kenny) Payne. I’ve been working on this guard stuff for a long time, but now I’ve cracked the code on how to use it. I cracked the code on the pace. I cracked the code on crafting it every single day multiple times a day that now this is what it is. This is what you are.”"

Cauley-Stein noted that he plans to “let it fly” this season. It will be interesting to see how many threes he attempts. Trill has just 19 in his career to date, but do not rule out one-plus a night in the Mavericks five-out offense.

Cauley-Stein got excited again talking about the Mavericks additions. They improved their defense significantly this offseason, and that has Trill pumped to see what the team can do in 2021.

See Hendo also asked Cauley-Stein what it was like playing with Luka Doncic. Fans can read his response below.

"“The most important thing that I’ve seen about Luka is the way that he has fun with it. There isn’t anything you are going to do or say that makes that game not fun for him. He might get frustrated in the game, but he going to go out, have fun with it, and come back in and do what he does. You can tell that in the game it is just fun. Regardless of what the situation is or how hard the situation is, it is just fun for him.”"

Cauley-Stein went on to note that it is that energy that makes him want to be a part of what Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis are doing in Dallas.

Trill talked about his goals for the upcoming season and what he wants to accomplish too.

It was a wide-ranging interview. Cauley-Stein also shows off his latest artwork, talked about his Instagram videos, and so much more. Fans have to check it out.