NBA Draft: Cason Wallace Provides Intriguing Pick for OKC Thunder
Sitting just one game below .500 on the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder are currently projected to earn a late-lottery selection in the 2023 NBA Draft.
There’s a myriad of interesting picks in that range, one being Kentucky guard Cason Wallace.
Many fans will immediately recoil at the thought of Oklahoma City drafting yet another guard. Potentially all but those within the Thunder scouting department, who likely don’t even list players positions as this point.
At 6-foot-4, Wallace was one of the top recruits in the 2022 high school class. And he’s lived up to his name averaging 11.8 points, 4.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game while shooting 46 percent overall and 35 percent from beyond the arc for a lackluster Wildcats squad.
His selling point is his defense. As a prospect, he’s one of the better perimeter defenders seen in decades. He’s instinctual, anticipatory and has massive care factor on that end of the floor. There’s lots of overlap between Wallace and current Thunder starter Lu Dort. None of which would be a bad thing and much of which would give the opposition nightmares before matchups.
Perhaps most importantly, Wallace fits Oklahoma City’s recent mold of draftees. While he’s not lengthy, he’s got great feel for the game, a decent handle and a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He’s a capable and willing passer and could thrive within a share-the-ball Thunder system. He won’t necessarily need the ball in-hands often to be effective.
He could function as a plug-and-play elite defender into the starting lineup, or even as the backup point guard when offense and playmaking are needed.
Fit-wise, implementing his overall offensive style could be tricky. He’s certainly not a non-shooter, but his numbers, which sat above 40 percent earlier in the season, have taken a huge dip. He’d likely get his by functioning as another slasher and cutter.
But defensively, flaunting Wallace and Dort alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey and eventually Chet Holmgren is an interesting option for Oklahoma City come draft night 2023.
Want to join the discussion? Like SI Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
