In a 31-point victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night, Oklahoma City Thunder rookie guard Cason Wallace had the best performance of his NBA career.
The No. 10 overall pick recorded a career-high 22 points, four assists, two rebounds and one block in 26 minutes against Memphis, earning a few more minutes on the floor than usual after Jalen Williams went down with an ankle injury.
Wallace made the most of his opportunity, going 9-of-14 from the field and 4-of-6 from 3-point range. The Kentucky product has been one of OKC's key bench players all season, but hadn't topped 20 points in his professional career until Sunday night.
"Great guy, works hard and I think he's been a very solid piece of this rotation since day one," third-year guard Josh Giddey said after the game.
"Defensively, he usually gets that assignment in the second lineup with their main guys and offensively, very efficient. Plays a pretty simple game, but gets it done. I think for a rooke, his impact on a pretty successful team, up to this point, has been very big. So, credit to him. Great guy, works hard and deserves nights like tonight."
As Giddey mentioned, Wallace is usually known for his defensive prowess, especially after solid outings against stars like Steph Curry and De'Aaron Fox. The rookie has also proven to have a solid offensive game this season and has knocked down a few big shots late in games.
This season, Wallace is averaging 6.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 50.4% from the field and 41.8% from beyond the arc in just over 20 minutes per game.
The rookie guard was selected to the Rising Stars Challenge where he played for Team Pau with Victor Wembanyama and Brandon Miller.
While the spotlight hasn't been on Wallace much this season due to the Thunder's impressive depth, the 20-year-old has been a solid contributor all season and will likely see his role increase in the coming seasons.
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