Cason Wallace entered the NBA draft best known as a defender, but his demeanor and attitude have stood out the most to the Oklahoma City Thunder in training camp.
Wallace debuted with the Thunder in the NBA Summer League. He averaged 11 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals on 38.7% shooting from 3-point range in five games. He scored in double figures three times, including a summer league-high of 20 points on July 8.
The Thunder opened training camp this week ahead of a five-game preseason schedule, which starts on Monday. It marks a big opportunity for Wallace to make an impression on the coaches and his teammates to solidify a place in the rotation this season.
He seems to be doing that so far.
“The biggest thing that has popped I think to not only me but to the players has been his temperament and his approach,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “It is far beyond his years. He has a really, really good emotional temperature as a person and he is highly professional. He carries himself like someone who is way beyond a rookie player.”
SGA & Cason Wallace working together pic.twitter.com/z0wtIHExwJ
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 5, 2023
Wallace is among four rookie players on the Thunder this season, including Chet Holmgren, Keyontae Johnson and Vasilije Micic. He will give the team another strong defender on the court and some shooting on the other end.
The 10th pick projects to have a tough path to seeing substantial minutes to start the year given the roster configuration in the backcourt. The team utilizes its G League affiliate, the OKC Blue, often and could be an option for him, at least in the early going.
Wallace is still learning the intricacies of the system during training camp, which, Daigneault said, is normal for a first-year player. In the meantime, Wallace will continue to pick things up with each practice.
“He is an anticipatory player, but in order to get your anticipation in, you have to kind of see the pictures first,” Daigneault said. “He is learning the pictures. He is going to pick them up pretty quickly I would guess, and then you’re going to start to see more and more of that.”
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