During the first two seasons of his career with the OKC Thunder, Cason Wallace quickly established himself as a high-impact, full-time role player in coach Mark Daigneault's championship-winning rotation.
Now, here in year three, the Kentucky product is slowly but surely turning himself into a true budding star out in the Sooner State, especially since the injury bug took chomps on a number of his key backcourt running mates like Ajay Mitchell and reigning MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
According to OKC beat writer and Locked on Thunder host Rylan Stiles, his impressive 2025-26 evolution can be credited to coach Daigneault simplifying Wallace's role within the scheme.
"In this recent stretch, we've all been really interested in his point guard background. He has done better on the ball, and I think what's helped him is really getting back to the basics. Now you're just seeing him break down a defense and get to the rim. That either leads to a shot or pass, instead of trying to be Peyton Manning out there and orchestrating an offense. That's really helped him, almost by being too simple, it's helped him actually become more advanced in what he can do on the offensive end," Stiles said.
Thunder allowing Cason Wallace to lean on innate on-court instincts
All year long, Wallace has found himself matching and even setting career-high marks virtually all across the board, as he's posting per-game averages of 8.3 points, 2.5 assists, and a league-best 2.1 steals.
However, since being utilized as a full-time starter and primary on-ball weapon over these past nine games, it's clear that the 22-year-old has raised his level of play to even greater heights.
In 30 minutes a night, Wallace is dropping sensational, two-way averages of 12.8 points, 4.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.4 steals while committing just 1.3 turnovers and 1.7 fouls.
On top of this, since the calendar page flipped to February, Wallace has ranked second on the Thunder in on-court offensive rating (121.0) and third in total plus-minus (plus-70) among those who have played in five or more games.
The timing for this breakout couldn't be more perfect for the young guard, as he'll be eligible to sign a new, multi-year pact this coming summer and, in all likelihood, is competing with veteran Lu Dort for the full-time starting two role moving forward.
Upon coming into the league as the 10 pick back in the 2023 NBA Draft, many pegged Wallace as a future star in the making. Some, such as The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor, even went as far as to compare him to the likes of Jrue Holiday.
Needless to say, expectations were always high for the youngster.
Now, mid-way through his third season in the association, it's more than apparent that his star potential is shining through, and, according to Stiles, it's all because he opted to get back to the basics.