The Perfect Piece For Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City is at the point in its rebuild in which the star-level talent is already in place. With just a few more seasons of development the current Thunder roster could produce upwards of three or four NBA All-Stars.

As such, putting the final touches on a rebuilt roster becomes incredibly important. While the team will continue to change rapidly over the next several years, the core pieces continue to come together. One key acquisition for OKC last week was Cason Wallace, a guard from the University of Kentucky that was selected with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. It’s not that he lacks the upside to be a star at the next level, but his skillset is one that will naturally compliment every player around him. Not only does he raise the floor of a team, but Wallace also raises the ceiling on both ends with his ability to enhance the overall team’s performance.

While you could say this about most members of the Thunder’s roster, Wallace is the type of player that puts his personal accolades aside and prioritizes what the team needs. That need will change on any given night, which lends well to Wallace’s well-rounded game. Simply put, his production goes well beyond the box score and truly impacts winning.

“He plays no agenda basketball,” said Thunder GM Presti shortly after the draft. “In today’s world there are so many people saying you have to get more shots, draw more attention to yourself, and this guy got drafted in the top ten just by being himself, a team player.”

Wallace grew up in Richardson, TX just three hours away from Paycom Arena where he will play his home games next season. The former five-star recruit was one of the top guards in his high school class, which is why it was no surprise he was a one-and-done at the college level.

When the Thunder opens its season in October, Wallace will be 19 years old and likely a key part of the rotation already. Though he’s more the size of a standard NBA guard at 6-foot-4, he has a strong frame at 200 pounds. With the positional size OKC plays with, he would even fit well in lineups that feature two or three other guards.

What makes Wallace great on both end is how incredibly smart he is as a player. Even during the most critical moments and with how fast the modern game is played, he finds ways to make the right reads and limit mistakes.

“There’s a lot of power in the simplicity he plays with,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault last weekend.

Where Wallace really shines is on the defensive end of the floor. There’s even a case to be made that he could be the best perimeter defender in this entire class. He’s a legitimate playmaker and game changer on that end of the floor.

“You gotta take the ball if you wanna play. If you wanna shoot it, you gotta take it from them,” said Wallace just before the draft on his defensive mentality.

With him, it’s not just the ability to guard on-ball, though he does excel at that. It’s also Wallace’s ability to enhance an entire defensive system with his rotations, weakside gravity, navigating screens and masking deficiencies of his teammates defensively. While he does produce a high number of steals and deflections, as well as some blocks, his defensive impact goes well beyond the numbers. He’s overall so disruptive and changes everything on that end.

When Wallace is defending at the point of attack, he’s an absolute pest. Furthermore, when the player he’s defending does drive, he is able to knock them off their path and altogether deny their ability to get a shot off. When the guy he’s defending doesn’t have the ball, he makes it difficult to get open and likes to jam up the timing and flow of the opposing offense.

“The nose for the ball stands out. He’s a very anticipatory defensive player,” said Daigneault.

For Wallace to be so elite on defense, it takes a unique combination of IQ, lateral quickness, balance, strength, hand-eye coordination and an understanding of angles and assignments. Each of these traits are of extreme importance and will help him translate his production to the NBA level.

Again, Wallace is best known for his defensive upside. With that in mind, he’s also an intriguing offensive prospect. Though that end of the floor is overshadowed by the defense, he does a lot that will be helpful for Oklahoma City.

“The defensive identity can mask a little bit of the offensive prowess. He’s a two-way player,” Presti said.

For starters, Wallace is a good passer. During his lone season at Kentucky, he spent time both as a traditional shooting guard, but also as the primary initiator. He proved he can thrive in either role, which will only help the Thunder play more positionless. Depending on the situation and lineup, he can be the offensive engine or a secondary playmaker.

Wallace is great at the rim and can finish with touch or power. However, he does need to improve as it relates to actually putting pressure on the rim, generating those attempts and even getting to the line. He doesn’t have the most crafty handle, but rather uses his strong frame and change of pace when driving.

As a 3-point shooter, Wallace is better than his college numbers suggest. Although he finished the season converting on 34.6% of his attempts, he was above 40% until the last 10 games of the season. He dealt with nagging injuries down the stretch and really struggled, which dropped his season-long averages. For the majority of the season, he was a really good perimeter shooter.

In the NBA, both the shooting upside and the ability to drive to the rim should naturally be enhanced. At the college level, Wallace played with mostly traditional bigs that clogged the lane and didn’t space the floor. With Oklahoma City’s frontcourt, most notably players like Chet Holmgren and Aleksej Pokusevski, Wallace’s offensive game should open up much more.

In short, Wallace does a little bit of. He’s projected to be a day-one contributor that impacts winning. The two-way guard will not only raise the floor of the team, but also the ceiling given his ability to change the game on defense. Thinking longer term, he’s the perfect complimentary piece for a playoff team with his ability to make life difficult offensively for the opposing team’s top scorer.