Willie Cauley-Stein has gotten used to the whispers. After he meets fans, signs their autographs and takes a personal interest in them, Cauley-Stein often hears some variation of the same reaction as he walks away: “Wow, I never thought he’d be like that.”

This hardly offends Cauley-Stein, who knows his appearance — dreadlocks, face tattoos and, at times, a custom-made gold mouthguard — often gives the wrong impression. A 7-foot, 240-pound hipster who appreciates hip-hop, street art and his hometown of Spearville, Kan. (population: 793), he has long seized the chance to defy stereotypes.

“That’s the biggest thing with society is we’re quick to judge a book by its cover,” said Cauley-Stein, who signed a two-year, $4.4 million deal — with a player option on the second season — with the Warriors in July. “I love going against the grain.”

That explains why Cauley-Stein, who went No. 6 overall to the Kings in the 2015 NBA draft largely for his potential as an interior defender, bristles at the notion that he must limit himself to dunks and blocked shots. As he put it, “I’m not a center; I just happen to play that role.”

Wednesday’s game Who: Houston (21-9) at Warriors (7-24) When: 2 p.m. TV:Channel: 7Channel: 10Radio: 95.7

Read More

Such stubbornness was a point of contention during Cauley-Stein’s four-year stint in Sacramento, where fans derided him for his inconsistent play and lack of blocks. Just two months into his maiden season with the Warriors, Cauley-Stein has started to look like the big man many in the Kings’ organization had hoped he would become, offering his new team a rim protector who can run the floor and throw down alley-oop dunks.

Instead of trying to prove he’s a midrange shooter, Cauley-Stein has kept things simple and attempted 80.2% of his shots within 10 feet of the basket. His 56.6 shooting percentage and 1.4 blocks per game, both of which pace Golden State, would be career highs if they hold.

“I think Draymond (Green) is always tremendous on defense, but I think Willie Cauley-Stein has put together some good games,” head coach Steve Kerr said after Monday’s win over Minnesota. “Three blocked shots tonight, good rim protection, and guys are just playing hard, playing with a lot of energy and a lot of force. So, it’s good to see.”

After feeling as though he received mixed messages from his Kings’ coaches, Cauley-Stein relishes having a clearly defined role with the Warriors. Kerr has told him that, as long as Cauley-Stein executes his defensive assignment, he shouldn’t worry if his man gets an easy layup because the help-side defender didn’t rotate.

This has eased some of the pressure Cauley-Stein said he felt with Sacramento. With the Warriors hoping to return to contention next season with a healthy Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, he looks forward to playing meaningful minutes for a playoff-bound team.

Since reaching the Final Four twice in his three years at Kentucky, Cauley-Stein has gone a combined 138-221 to start his NBA career and has yet to reach the postseason. A league source told The Chronicle that, though rumblings rat-a-tat-tat online about the possibility of them trading him before the deadline, the Warriors view Cauley-Stein as a potential long-term player.

At 26, he is just beginning to hit his prime. Affable and easygoing, Cauley-Stein has emerged as a respected mentor to his younger teammates, reminding them that — even amid all the losing — players’ situations could be far worse.

It also doesn’t hurt that his contract is barely more than the league minimum, quite a relative bargain for someone with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, a 37-inch vertical leap and a desire to hush his critics.

In the first quarter of Monday’s win over Minnesota, Cauley-Stein blocked a Josh Okogie layup attempt, raced back in transition and hammered home an alley-oop dunk off a lob from D’Angelo Russell. Green, whose eight NBA seasons include three titles, reckons it was a sequence few players could have delivered.

“The way he runs the floor, there’s no big in the league that can keep up with him,” Green said. “He’s been playing great on both ends of the floor.”

To guard against complacency, Cauley-Stein regularly changes his hairstyle, sneaker choice or mouthguard. But over the past couple of weeks, he has made few changes, sticking with a hairdo he calls “starter dreadlocks.”

Given how things have gone lately, Cauley-Stein figures he might keep them for a while — others’ opinions be damned.

“There’s a lot of substance to me,” Cauley-Stein said. “When I finally let somebody in on that substance, it just baffles them. And the funny thing is, at the end of the day, I haven’t touched all my strengths yet.”

Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cletourneau@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @Con_Chron