Cason Wallace report card: What's next for Thunder guard offensively?
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Cason Wallace put on a cape in the fourth quarter of Game 7 against the Spurs.
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The defensive dynamo scored 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting. The Thunder came up short, but it was no fault of Wallace’s.
After the end of each season, The Oklahoman publishes a series of report cards on each of the Thunder’s main roster players. Grades will be curved relative to role and expectations.
Next up: Cason Wallace.
Cason Wallace by the numbers
77 games, 26.6 minutes, 8.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.9 steals, 43.2% FG, 35.1% 3FG, 80.1% FT
77: Wallace led the Thunder in games played. He was second in total minutes (2,046) behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2,259). Wallace has been an ironman, averaging 76 games played per season in his three-year career. Among his 2023 draft classmates, Wallace ranks second in games played (227) behind Portland’s Toumani Camara (230).
150: Wallace led the NBA in total steals. Hawks guard Dyson Daniels was second with 149. Wallace edged Daniels by a steal despite Wallace playing 474 fewer minutes than Daniels.
43.2%: Wallace’s field-goal percentage has declined in each of his first three seasons. He shot 49.1% as a rookie, 47.4% last season and 43.2% this season. His 2-point and 3-point percentages have simultaneously dipped.
48.4%: Wallace’s 3-point percentage in the playoffs — best among Thunder players and sixth-best among all players (minimum 20 attempts). Wallace shot 30 of 62 from three. He was second behind Alex Caruso (33) in playoff 3-pointers for OKC.
27: Wallace scored a career-high 27 points on Feb. 1 at Denver. He had another 27-point game later in February at Toronto.
The good
Wallace was named to the All-Defensive second team. Among the 10 players who made the two All-Defensive teams, Wallace was seventh in total votes. Thunder center Chet Holmgren made All-Defensive first team. Lu Dort and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received votes.
Wallace was the Thunder’s most valuable perimeter defender. He averaged almost two steals per game. His takeaways were mean-spirited. If you dribbled near him, he’d rip the ball from you.
Wallace was a playoff riser. He averaged 8.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.1 steals — all playoff career highs. He had 48/48/88 shooting splits.
He had a massive February, a month in which the Thunder was largely without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. Wallace averaged 14.6 points in 12 February game. It was the only month in which Wallace averaged double-digit points. He also dished 4.8 assists, showing what he could do with more offensive responsibility.
“That was a fun point in time,” Wallace said in his exit interview. “That was fun having the ball and just being able to showcase my game and do what the team needed me to do to win.”
The bad
Where was the February version of Wallace in the playoffs? His 3-point shooting and defense were superb, but the Thunder needed another capable on-ball guard in the absences of Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell.
The opportunity was there for Wallace to assume more of an attacking and playmaking role, but it didn’t happen.
Wallace’s shooting percentages are trending in the wrong direction. After shooting 42% from three as a rookie, Wallace has been at 36% and 35% the past two seasons.
Cason Wallace offseason homework
Wallace is a bit of a tweener offensively.
Still only 22, there’s plenty of time for him to develop into a viable on-the-ball guard. And he clearly wants to explore and expand that part of his game.
On the other hand, imagine if Wallace set aside some of his offensive ambitions and went all in on becoming a better 3-point shooter?
Either way, Wallace is in line for a monster payday. Because even this version of Wallace is immensely valuable. The former No. 10 pick is eligible for an extension.
Cason Wallace grade: B+
He didn’t make a huge leap offensively, but he was one of the 10 best defensive players in the world. And he was a clutch 3-point shooter in the playoffs. Wallace plays almost every night, and few play harder than him.
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at [email protected]. Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Cason Wallace report card: What's next for Thunder guard offensively?