At just 22 years old, OKC Thunder third-year guard Cason Wallace has accomplished more than most do in their entire careers.
Even with a ring and NBA All-Defensive honors under his belt, though, it's clear he is far from satisfied.
His ability to create chaos on defense, combined with his growing offensive efficiency, has set in motion the inevitable: he is forcing his way onto the floor and giving coach Mark Daigneault no choice but to leave him there.
As a result, his extended minutes have come at the expense of fellow defensive wiz, Lu Dort.
Dort's minutes have steadily declined each of the past three series, and they look nothing like they did around this time last year. His 20.3 minutes against the Spurs is a far cry from his 31.3 minutes in the 2025 NBA Finals.
This change has been largely due to Wallace's offensive development. He has always been a stout defender, but lately, he has developed into a significantly better version of Dort on the perimeter.
For reference, he is shooting 46.5 percent from deep to Lu's 35.4 percent.
On Friday night, Wallace further separated himself from his backcourt counterpart when he recorded his 60th career postseason steal. At 22 years and 195 days old, he surpassed Kobe Bryant as the youngest to accomplish such a feat.
Cason Wallace making Thunder offseason decisions much easier
Up until now, Dort has been nearly irreplaceable in the starting five. His willingness to guard the opposition's best man is not a role for the weak.
That being said, Wallace has clearly been studying under his tutelage, so much so in fact, that he may just become the veteran's successor come next season.
Dort is one of three OKC veterans for whom the Thunder have team options heading into next season. If Cason finishes the postseason strong, there will simply be no reason to retain Lu when a cheaper, higher-upside option waits in the wings.
A shift to Wallace as a full-time starter feels all but inevitable at this point. The only question is, when?
He has shown the ability to adapt to various roles this year, from defensive specialist to primary scoring option to offensive distributor. He is beginning to look like the Swiss Army Knife Dort has been at times in his career, only with a higher ceiling.
Wallace's flashes of brilliance this postseason have not gone unnoticed. He has contributed to one of the best bench performances in recent playoff history during these Western Conference Finals.
While he performs at a high level, the beloved Dort continues to put up middling numbers.
A change of the guard mid-postseason seems unlikely, but Thunder fans may be getting a glimpse of what's to come in the not-so-distant future.
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