2024-25 Oklahoma City Thunder player grades: Cason Wallace.
The calendar has flipped to August, which means we've officially hit the low point of the NBA cycle. The next couple of months are the driest part of the year. Everybody has headed to vacation and awaits training camp to kick off the 2025-26 season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to enjoy their NBA championship. They had a historic 68-14 regular-season campaign that eventually led to the franchise's first title with a 2025 NBA Finals Game 7 win. They'll enter next season as a favorite to be a rare repeat winner.
To reflect on their title run, Thunder Wire will conduct 2024-25 season grades for all 19 players who suited up for the squad at one point during the year. Sixth up is Cason Wallace, who was relied on as a starter for most of the season:
2024-25 statistics:
- 8.4 points
- 2.5 assists
- 3.4 rebounds
- 1.8 steals
- 47.4% shooting
- 35.6% 3-point shooting
- 81.1% free-throw shooting
Advanced stats:
- True-shooting percentage: 56.2%
- Usage rate: 12.8%
- Win shares: 5.2
- VORP: 1.5
- Steal percentage: 3.1%
Significant Percentile Finishes:
- P&R ball-handler: 47.4 percentile
- Spot-up: 48.7 percentile
- Handoff: 74.0 percentile
Contract:
- 2025-26: $5.8 million
- 2026-27: $7.4 million (team option)
Thoughts:
Being on back-to-back first seeds, Wallace has been spoiled since entering the NBA. He's known nothing but winning. He's helped the Thunder carve out the league's best defense in his short time. Outside of some bad shooting luck, it was a step in the right direction for the 21-year-old's path.
The Thunder juggled through injuries throughout the regular season. That allowed Wallace to be a semi-regular starter. He shared the fifth starting spot and allowed OKC to run out a traditional five-player starting lineup when needed. He started in 43 of his 68 games, quite the jump from last year's 13 starts in 82 games.
A lot was made about Wallace's ball-handling potential. He looked more comfortable with the ball in his hands this season. He knew what to do in transition and was a scoring threat thanks to his underrated athleticism and speed. You hope he can continue to build off that and be a more well-rounded offensive player.
Even though Wallace suffered from outside shooting regression, you can chalk that up to just the ebbs and flows of basketball. He didn't do anything differently compared to when he was a 40% outside shooter in his rookie season. They were the same quality of catch-and-shoot looks that simply just didn't fall. Nothing to be too concerned about.
And then there's the defense. Perhaps nobody suffers more from being on a stacked team than Wallace. Consuming what the national media said about the Thunder all last year, he sadly went under the radar for his defensive contributions. That's what happens when you're the third fiddle of one of the best three-headed perimeter defensive monsters ever behind Lu Dort and Alex Caruso.
Still, Wallace has earned his flowers. He's one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. The Thunder fully trust him to get must-stop possessions at the end of games. You never see Dort or Caruso demand a switch. His elite steal rate was a result of intelligence in anticipating the pass and just simply being stronger than the opponent by ripping the ball out of their hands.
You have to be thrilled with what Wallace has shown through two seasons. The 21-year-old has been a key rotation player for an NBA champion. Despite his youthful age, he's been a contributor since arriving in OKC. And considering his runway, he has plenty of room to grow to be more than just that. The Thunder absolutely nailed the draft-day trade to acquire him.
Moving Forward:
Let's see if Wallace has a giant leap in him. Year 3 is typically when a player accelerates to their ceiling. Even if he has the same role as a semi-starter, he could still loudly knock on the door to get a bigger role. The Thunder are banking on his development to remain a championship contender for the foreseeable future.
The first step to that is having a better outside shooting season. Wallace had pedestrian numbers this season, but has shown he can do more. The simplest solution is to continue to shoot the open looks he gets from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. Eventually, math will be on his side.
Wallace also looks ready for more on-ball reps. It's difficult to do that on the Thunder. Most of those go to Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams. But there's definitely a vacuum of ball-handling possessions up for grabs in the bench lineups. We know the 21-year-old can handle it in the fastbreak. The next step is to be a traditional playmaker in the halfcourt.
Even if Wallace has a similar offensive season to last year, his defense alone will warrant nearly 30 minutes a night. He's that special of a one-on-one defender. That's what kept him on the floor in the playoffs despite some shaky shooting results. He will always have a role in the NBA with what he brings on that side of the floor.
Now, with long-term thinking, the Thunder must make difficult decisions. They have a group of role players they likely can't keep after next season. One possibility is Wallace. He'll be extension-eligible next summer. It'll be interesting to see how the Thunder handle his contract negotiations. He could eventually graduate to a full-time starter depending on how the rest of the roster is handled.
Among Wallace, Isaiah Hartenstein, Dort and Caruso, the Thunder will likely only be able to keep two of those four players. Hartenstein has a team option they can decline, and Caruso has a very movable contract if needed. Meanwhile, Wallace and Dort will need new contracts soon. Who knows how OKC prioritizes those four players, but if it likes Wallace's potential enough, it can work out a deal to keep him on a second contract.
Of course, these are all rich-person problems the Thunder can worry about later. They'll cross that bridge when they get there. For now, Wallace having a breakout season would be beneficial for both parties. Both sides are rooting for the 21-year-old to take that next step as a player instead of being just one of the NBA's best 3-and-D players.
Final Grade: B
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: 2024-25 Thunder player grades: Cason Wallace
Category: Basketball