Cason Wallace's Adaptability is Commendable in Second Season

Cason Wallace is quickly becoming a Swiss Army Knife like many others do for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

He's garnering qualities alike his Thunder teammates, and it's helping him remain adaptable, prepared and resilient as the season goes on.

The 6-foot-3 guard out of Kentucky has staked his claim as a premier defender on this team, and has started 35 of the 53 games he's competed in. His second-year leap has seen him with an increase in scoring, a 100% increase in steals with 1.8 per game, and of course in minutes per game with 27.6 a night.

These numbers don't come likely, and plenty of Wallace's impact can be unquantifiable in a box score with his defensive nature causing many errors for an opponent that wouldn't count as steals.

Though, since the return of Chet Holmgren and now being paired with Isaiah Hartenstein on the floor in a two-big starting lineup, Wallace has began to come off the bench.

That was the case against the Houston Rockets on Monday night, as Wallace came off the bench but still logged just over 30 minutes in the game to capture a 14-point, three-steal performance to help Oklahoma City overcome Houston by nine points. Along with those numbers, he also added four assists and five boards while shooting efficiently.

Wallace has truly flourished in his sophomore season and it is refreshing to see the ways that Mark Daigneault gets him integrated wherever he sees fit, akin to how Aaron Wiggins and Kenrich Williams are able to make an impact on the floor in whatever manner is needed.

Accompanying players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, a do-it-all guy like Cason Wallace to back them up in his second season is immense, and it allows for Mark Daigneault to experiment however he chooses.

Wallace provides cushion for this team and its rotation, and he continues to trend upward as his career progresses.