Oklahoma City Thunder’s summer additions will lead them back to playoffs

Cason Wallace

The Thunder just selected Wallace with the 10th pick in this year’s draft, and despite being only 19 years old, he’s ready to impact winning right now. In his first Summer League game, he had 20 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals on 7-15 shooting while draining 6-10 threes.

His second game didn’t go so well when he had the ball in his hands more due to OKC holding various players out. He struggled, only scoring 8 points on 2-12 shooting (1-8 3P) and 3-5 from the free throw line. He flashed some on-the-ball potential with his playmaking though, dishing three assists out. It wasn’t a good game, but he was overtasked, and he truly is not as bad as he performed.

He is instantly a good 3-and-D NBA player. He shot the three ball at a 34.7% clip in college, but with NBA spacing, it’s fair to expect this number to be at the 35 or 36% level despite the three-point line being further. He can also attack closeouts at a good level and operate as a secondary playmaker on this end and run pick and rolls. For a team that struggled with great floor spacing last season, Wallace will be a welcomed arrival on this end.

And he’s even better defensively. He can immediately step into the league and be a solid point-of-attack defender off the bench for the Thunder. He averaged two steals per game at Kentucky, and his 6-foot-8 wingspan allows him to defend bigger than his height. He’s really solid at the end, and he probably joins the Thunder as the second-best perimeter defender on the team behind Lu Dort.

Wallace is essentially the perfect backup guard for this league, and I would be surprised if he doesn’t have an impactful first season given his play style. He adds to what the Thunder need.