Kings' Willie Cauley-Stein working with Peja Stojakovic to improve shot

The center said his goal in the summer was to make 700 shots every day

To improve his jump shot, Willie Cauley-Stein is working with a Sacramento Kings legend: Peja Stojakovic. In an interview with CSN California's James Ham, Cauley-Stein said that he's looking to do much more this season than he did as a rookie, and it would obviously help to be able to knock down jumpers more regularly.

From CSN California:

"Peja's kind of mentoring me right now," the 7-footer told CSN California. "Especially in the summer time, I did a lot of work. Our goal everyday was to make 700 shots. So by the end of the week, we were making thousands of shots."

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"We started from the basic things, understanding what it takes to be a good shooter," Stojakovic told CSN California on The Kings Insider Podcast. "We still talk about that and when he misses a shot, he walks by me and says, 'legs'. It's all about strength in your legs, it's all about the rhythm and it's all about repetition that eventually make you a better shooter."

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"You can tell, my shooting, I'm way more comfortable with it," Cauley-Stein said. "It was kind of building from there."

Willie Cauley-Stein is a big part of the Kings' future. USATSI

Stojakovic, the Kings director of player personnel and development, is one of the best shooters the league has ever seen, but do not expect Cauley-Stein to start mimicking his shooting form. The important thing is that the 23-year-old has the confidence and the green light to look for his own shot. Under George Karl last season, Cauley-Stein was essentially asked to just defend and rebound, but he believes he has the potential to be a much more dynamic player.

As a rookie, Cauley-Stein shot 13-for-43 from 10 feet and out. If it wasn't a dunk or a layup, opposing teams mostly let him shoot. That's not going to change overnight. In the big picture, though, Cauley-Stein's jump shot might determine whether or not he fits in Sacramento. DeMarcus Cousins is the Kings' franchise player, and he needs players around him who can make shots. Cauley-Stein doesn't need to become a 3-point threat in order to share the court with Cousins, but he must eventually be able to at least draw defenders out of the paint.