Cason Wallace Providing Crucial Defensive Impact for OKC Thunder

Wallace has made eye-popping contributions to a defensive unit that has been the best in the league so far.

Nov 2, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; LA Clippers guard Kevin Porter Jr. (77) drives the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) during the first half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

With the Oklahoma City Thunder leading 78-76 over the LA Clippers in the waning minutes of the third quarter, and the shot clock quickly dwindling to single-digit seconds, Kevin Porter Jr. had the ball 30 feet from the basket with one person in his way. Left-hand dribble. Between-the-legs dribble. Behind-the-back dribble. Just 3.5 seconds remained in the possession, but Cason Wallace was still standing his ground.

Porter Jr. finally drove to the rim going left and attempted an off-hand layup, and Wallace used every inch of his 6-foot-9 wingspan to swat the ball back down.

Aaron Wiggins secured the rebound as the shot clock expired, marking the end of another successful defensive possession. Oklahoma City allowed 35 second-half points against the Clippers on a minuscule 32.5% effective field goal percentage. Their defensive rating through six games is a league-leading 94.9 points per 100 possessions. The Thunder are racking up 13.3 steals per game, 8.0 blocks per game and forcing 20.8 turnovers per game — all unmatched numbers from the other 29 teams.

Wallace's defensive impact has stood out on a team full of reputable personnel. Excluding low-leverage minutes, Oklahoma City has produced an 87.8 defensive rating with Wallace on the court, almost 15 points lower than without him. Opponents are shooting 40.7% on 2-pointers against lineups containing Wallace in 130 total minutes, and just 29.1% from downtown.

Seven Thunder players are averaging at least one steal per game. Wallace is tied with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Alex Caruso, each obtaining 1.8 per game. His most memorable sequence of the season so far came against the Atlanta Hawks, when he knocked the ball away from All-Star guard Trae Young in isolation defense twice in one minute — during a fourth quarter the Thunder won by 21 points.

Wallace also recorded multiple steals against three-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic during the season-opener in Denver, intercepting a cross-court pass to Julian Strawther and poking the ball out near the free-throw line. He has averaged a +13.5 plus-minus through six Thunder games, all double-digit victories, with his lowest being +8 against the San Antonio Spurs.

Luguentz Dort, Caruso and Gilgeous-Alexander have established themselves as impactful perimeter defenders due to bodies of work that extend multiple seasons. Wallace deserves equivalent credit for his contributions as a sophomore with fewer than 100 games of professional experience.

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