Cason Wallace could be lead candidate to fill biggest bench need for OKC Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder own arguably the deepest roster in the entire NBA.

From headline talents in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to elite role players such as Alex Caruso, coach Mark Daigneault seems to have his pick of the litter when it comes to rotational talents.

However, they seemingly lack a true backup point guard who effectively handles the ball for long stretches and distributes at a high level. This issue plagued them during the playoffs last season, but one Thunder player could take a leap and potentially resolve this peculiar predicament.  

Cason Wallace could fill rotational void on OKC Thunder

Oklahoma City traded up for the tenth overall pick and selected Cason Wallace in the 2023 NBA Draft and, impressively enough, he immediately shined as a rookie.

Whether it was smothering opposing guards with his tenacious defense or knocking down catch-and-shoot jumpers, the Kentucky product impressed Mark Daigneault enough to see critical playoff minutes.

Wallace mostly operated as an off-ball threat who shot the lights out and burned defenders on cuts. He did get ball-handling reps from time to time throughout his rookie campaign, though didn’t take many risks.

If his goal was to seamlessly fit in and provide value without disrupting the team’s flow, then he aced the test. 

Now that he’s acclimated to the league, OKC needs more offensive aggression and responsibility from their young guard.

Can he deliver? 

Wallace looked comfortable running the offense at Kentucky as a freshman and averaged over four assists per game. According to Synergy Sports, he ranked in the 71st percentile for points per possession as the pick-and-roll ball handler.

Wallace leveraged angles well and used his strength to absorb contact and cut corners. He’s best when getting downhill, although there is a capable pull-up jumper in his bag. 

Of course, despite the promise he possesses, there are still some weaknesses that cannot be ignored.

The freshman didn’t feature all that tight of a handle or consistently make transcendent passes. Essentially, Wallace was rock-solid and valuable yet could not be remotely compared to, say, a Tyrese Haliburton or Trae Young. 

That’s not an indictment either because those guys are rare offensive engines, but it does limit his ceiling as a playmaker. Considering the Thunder need him to frequently run the bench offense and not the entire team, it’s not a concern. 

Fast forward to his rookie season on the Thunder, and Wallace displayed signs that he could produce with the ball in his hands. He posted efficient numbers in the pick-and-roll and was impressive as a passer out of drives. 

Per Basketball Index, the Thunder rookie finished 60th in their advanced metric “playmaking talent” out of the 263 players with at least 1,000 minutes logged last year. The metric is an all-encompassing stat that seeks to capture “a player’s ability to create plays that help their team’s score.” 

Wallace showed enough last season to have confidence in a year two playmaking leap, which would be huge for the Thunder.

Based on the rookie tape and whispers from training camp, look for Cason Wallace to become a key bench playmaker this season, handle more on-ball reps, and replace a portion of Josh Giddey's touches.