OKC Thunder Veteran Compares Young Guard to Jrue Holiday

The Thunder second-year guard received high praise from his veteran teammate, comparing him to one of the leagues best defenders.

Cason Wallace is pictured during the Thunder media day at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. / NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Second-year guard Cason Wallace had an impressive first year with the Oklahoma City Thunder, averaging 6.8 points per game and highlighting his defensive capabilities. Wallace received a comparison to one of the leagues best defenders, Jrue Holiday, from veteran forward teammate Kenrich Williams.

"I think that just comparing those guys, I kind of compare Cason to Jrue [Holiday] a little bit, Williams said. "Just playing with Jrue, I think that Cason has very good instincts on defense, stuff you can't teach."

Williams played with Holiday on the New Orleans Pelicans for three seasons from 2018 to 2020.

Comparing the two guards, Wallace does share certain skills with the veteran guard. Wallace was one of OKC's stronger on-ball defenders last year, averaging 0.9 steals per game. He shot an efficient 41.9% from the perimeter, an alarmingly good number for a rookie guard.

The former Kentucky Wildcat had the All-Rookie Second Team accolade to show for his first year in the NBA, impressing many Thunder fans with his wide-spread contributions to the team. With a year under his belt, it's hard to see why Wallace won't show improvement in his sophomore campaign.

"He's been — had his rookie year under his belt, so he has the challenges of guarding some of the best guys in the league," Williams said. "I think he's been great, and he is only going to get better."

Williams notices other similarities between the two highly-touted defensive guards, primarily in Wallace's body type.

"Great hands, and he has long arms," Williams said. "So he is able to guard bigger guys, and he knows what it is no

Wallace is not as big as Holiday, but he has a clear physical playstyle that draws the two together. Holiday is currently two inches taller and around 20-pounds heavier. Wallace does not neccesarily need to bulk up that much, but that is an area that makes Holiday so powerful in his defending.

Holiday is known across the NBA for his defensive skillset. It's hard to pinpoint a better on-ball defender than him, as well as players who generally contribute to winning. Holiday was a main contributer in the Boston Celtics 2024 NBA Championship run, averaging 12.5 points per game on efficicient splits.

Wallace could very easily show large improvements this season, but with certain offseason additions, it's hard to see him taking a large statistical jump. Wallace is a guard that can play immedietly and often for OKC and is talented enough to contribute. He's only 20 years old, so he still has plenty of years of development.

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