‘It’s Not As Bad as I Thought It Was’: Cason Wallace’s Journey From Dreading Oklahoma City to Embracing It

Cason Wallace wasn't eager to live in Oklahoma City, but he's since come around on it and evolved into a pitvotal player for the Thunder.

May 13, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) warms up before the / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Nearly a year ago, Cason Wallace looked less than enthused about spending his ensuing days in Oklahoma City.

It was the night of the 2023 NBA Draft, where Wallace seemed poised to become a lottery pick after a strong freshman season at the University of Kentucky. The anticipation for him and his family continued to accelerate as the picks went on, finally approaching the walk across the stage that he dreamed of for years. Then came the the No. 10 pick.

Who owned that pick might you ask? None other than the Dallas Mavericks — his hometown team.

The Dallas native was rightful to be ecstatic about the idea of playing for the team he grew up watching, filled with so many fond memories around Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Jason Terry...the list goes on an on. When he found out they traded the pick to the Thunder in a swap at the No. 12 spot, he was rightfully a little disappointed.

"I definitely will be fine in Oklahoma," Wallace said following his selection. "There's not much to do but it lets you stay focused."

It was always going to be hard for the 20-year-old to adjust to living in Oklahoma City, especially with the possibility of staying home so close to coming to fruition. It's one of the smallest markets in the entire NBA, containing less of the usual attractions that players desire in bigger cities. It doesn't have the glitz and glamor of a Los Angeles or a large spotlight like New York, it's a relatively normal big city in the middle of the United States.

But Wallace was used to that to a much further extent in Lexington. Oklahoma is right above Texas. Life wasn't going to change that drastically for him, and besides, playing professional basketball was his No. 1 priority.

Flashing forward an entire rookie campaign later, Wallace's mindset is in a very different place. He had a promising first year with the Thunder, playing as a key contributor to its seeding at the top of the Western Conference and first playoff series win since 2016. He'll be a surefire All-Rookie team member, with potential to grow as a starter in the lineup next season.

When asked what surprised him about Oklahoma in his exit interview, Wallace reversed his claims from draft night.

"Yeah, owe the world an apology, I'll say that," Wallace said with a smile across his face. "When I first did my press conference, I was like, there's not much to do out here. There's a good amount of things to do out here. It's not as bad as I thought it was."

You don't know until you try it, and that's exactly what happened with Wallace last year.

Now, it's hard to imagine it going any other way.

Getting Comfortable

In a league surrounded by eccentric personalities and star personas, Wallace is anything but that.

He's quiet-mannered and not easy to read from the outside. He probably won't be the first person to start a conversation, nor will he try to force himself into one. So when Wallace first joined Oklahoma City, fitting into a new environment would be his first big challenge in the NBA, not the actual basketball.

The Thunder already had an established core group of young talent, most namely Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Josh Giddey and Luguentz Dort. Even Chet Holmgren, who had yet to suit up because of a season-ending foot injury before his "true" rookie season, had been around the guys all year while rehabilitating. Playing at the NBA level is already hard enough, but the relationships between teammates is arguably just as important to being successful.

At first, getting comfortable in Oklahoma City wasn't easy for Wallace.

"It wasn't that I was afraid to talk to people. It was just I didn't have much to talk about," Wallace said. "I just got here, and everybody's all talking about last year and people they miss and all this. So I'm like okay, I don't really know him. I can't just butt into the conversation."

The rookie was conscious about his place within the roster. Whether he would change the dynamic too much already established by the team or not. They may play the same sport and play on the same team, but that doesn't mean they are automatically relatable to each other.

Worries certainly ran through Wallace's mind in the early stages of joining the Thunder organization. Luckily, those worries were quickly put to rest.

"I was a little shy and standoffish when I first got here, but I saw the whole team was really close with each other and nobody got treated differently," Wallace said. "So it was kind of easy for me to fit in with the team. They're all young, or if they're not, they act young."

The rookie's integration in Oklahoma City was natural and unforced, fitting in alongside a group closer to his age than nearly any other team in the league would've been. Although having veterans to help guide rookies is equally beneficial, being led by players his age helped gain some easiness in a time of rapid change in his life.

Wallace may be an "observant" man that likes to keep his distance, but he built early trust with his teammates. If he did find himself having a question, there was no worry as to asking it or not.

"They might have had the same question that I had when they were first here, and they all gave good answers," Wallace said. "Nobody led me in the wrong direction, I still feel that way. I could ask anybody anything and they'll come through for me."

With some newfound comfortability and great teammates on his side, now it was time for Wallace to get to work.

And he certainly did. Albeit, quietly.

The "Slept-On" Rookie

The NBA's rookie discussion over the last year has largely revolved around two giants: Victor Wembanyama and Holmgren.

The two battled for most of the season over the Rookie of the Year award, equally becoming two of the league's brightest stars as soon as they stepped foot in the league. Holmgren was the most exciting factor heading into the Thunder's 2023-24 campaign, especially after the long wait its fans had to endure.

Give the circumstances, it was going to be hard for Wallace not to be overlooked in his rookie campaign. Holmgren received much of the spotlight in Oklahoma City — and deservingly so — but Wallace also became a huge contributor as to how the Thunder made such a large jump from the previous season.

The guard ended the regular season with averages of 6.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 20.6 minutes per game. It doesn't pop off the page at a first glance, but his impact went far beyond the stat sheet.

Wallace made the absolute most of his minutes, both offensively and defensively. He's far beyond his years in shot selection, taking mostly quality shots and shooting them with a 49.1% clip from the field and 41.9% from behind the arc. He hounded opposing guards defensively, most notably seen in the playoffs against Kyrie Irving — one of the players he grew up watching the most.

The rookie was also consistent and reliable, a rarity for most first-year players entering the NBA. He played all 82 regular season games and all 10 playoff games, completing an entire season to the fullest. The jump from a college to professional schedule is massive, but it seemed to hardly affect him.

Playing the whole season was one of my goals," Wallace said. "I just want to be available. I was told that avaibility is the best ability. Just making sure that I was there for every game, even with feeling the way I felt sometimes, you know I had to push through it."

Availability did prove to be a useful factor in helping the 20-year-old gain a larger role in Oklahoma City's rotation, which steadily increased even into the playoffs. The work he put in shined through as the season rolled along, instilling the team's confidence in his abilities to assign him crucial assignments against Irving and Luka Doncic in the second round against who else but the Mavericks.

The series might've ended with a loss and Wallace's production lessened as the series went on, but it was still a fruitful first run for the rookie. He knows there's more he need to improve on before his sophomore campaign, such as his ball handling and scoring confidence, and he'll look to do that alongside his equally motivated teammates.

The Thunder plan to regain its status as a championship contender in the West next year. It doesn't plan to leave the conversation just because of a bump in the road, it has plenty of time to learn and accomplish its ultimate goal. Not getting there this season may sting now, but it won't for long.

"We fell short. We all feel the same way about that, but I feel like we learned a lot as a team, me as a player," Wallace said on the loss to Dallas.

It has been quite the eventful year for both Oklahoma City and Wallace. Although the pairing needed time to warm up to each other, there's no regrets on either side now for where they are at. The Thunder should be winning for many years down the road, and he should continue to be a pivotal piece behind that.

It would've been special for Wallace to be a Maverick. Following in the footsteps of his idols in the city he grew up in is truly a dream scenario, and one that any player would crave if given the chance. But after an entire year with a different organization and playoff series against that very hometown team, that desire is now fully out of the window.

Besides, there's plenty more Oklahoma City has to offer.

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