On Tuesday, the OKC Thunder won their season opener over the San Antonio Spurs. Despite there being a number of new faces and upgraded roles, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company looked crisp on both sides of the floor.
One of those new looks was the newest member of the starting lineup, Cason Wallace. After Lu Dort's departure this offseason, Wallace was the obvious choice to take the open 3-and-D spot. Tuesday night proved he might even bring more to the table than his predecessor.
Throughout the game, Wallace showed his ability to handle the ball. He finished the night with just two assists, but he was constantly entrusted with point guard duties, whether it was bringing the ball up or facilitating the offense in its entirety.
It was clear throughout the game that OKC now has a third ball handler in their starting lineup, a downright lethal arsenal for Mark Daigneault to work with.
Lu Dort loss may be addition by subtraction for Thunder
While Lu Dort served his purpose in OKC, he never truly possessed the ability to command the floor with the ball in his hands. In his seven seasons in blue and orange, his highest assist rate was a meager 2.1 per game. Last season, that number dipped to 1.2 per game.
Wallace, on the other hand, has already shown a passing ceiling possessed by few around the league. When OKC's primary ball handlers were all sidelined last season, the Kentucky alumnus stepped into the lead distributor role, recording 28 assists in a four-game stretch in mid-February.
Granted, he will likely never achieve those same numbers when SGA, Jalen Williams, and Ajay Mitchell are all healthy, but his passing prowess in the starting five is an added bonus.
Cason Wallace unlocks brand new offensive schemes for Thunder
Because the former Kentucky man is able to fulfill the point guard role on occasion, elite scoring threats like Gilgeous-Alexander and the aforementioned Williams can now play off the ball.
These new schematic possibilities will allow the entire offense to play with more versatility, namely SGA, whose game had begun to grow monotonous last postseason, albeit not by his own fault.
With Gilgeous-Alexander already working on his off-ball game, playing with another ball handler like Cason Wallace will allow him to lean into this new skill.
Other players like Jared McCain, Alex Caruso, and Jaylin Williams have already established themselves as competent spot-up shooters, so having another floor general to distribute the ball will certainly be beneficial.
In short, Wallace's abilities present a ceiling for the Thunder offense that they did not have when Lu Dort was in the starting lineup.
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