How Cason Wallace Can Become a Franchise Cornerstone

At 21 years old, Cason Wallace is already a key contributor to an Oklahoma City Thunder championship team.

Wallace is already an outstanding perimeter defender, using his quick hands and long arms like few other guards can. But what can he do to solidify himself as a part of this young OKC core?

Consistent Three-Point Shooting

Throughout his two-year career, Wallace has been an unreliable three-point shooter. He shot just 37.1% on all spot-up shots last regular season, and 30.9% in the playoffs. His inability to efficiently hit catch-and-shoot shots was a primary reason why he was benched in the Finals.

Although he has overall struggled with his shooting, Wallace has shown stretches of great shooting. Between January 1 and March 3 of 2025, he shot 39.7% from three on over three attempts per game.

Shooting this well in two months is no small feat, and it demonstrates that he can maintain close to this level of shooting for an entire season.

More Frequent Rim Pressure

Wallace is one of the better finishers in the league for his size, but he doesn’t get to the rim enough.

His length and athleticism enable him to rise above almost anyone and get a good look in the paint. Statistically, he gets to the paint a reasonable amount, with 53.2% of his points coming from the paint, but little of that is from self-creation; instead, most of it comes from transitions and easy cuts.

Although easy baskets are never a bad thing, Wallace has shown that he is capable of creating his shots and getting to the paint off the dribble.

OKC struggled in its half-court offense last season. If Wallace can consistently create rim pressure and cause open looks, he would become an invaluable player to OKC.

Become a Secondary Ball Handler

Wallace becoming a secondary ball handler goes hand in hand with his increased rim pressure.

OKC desperately needed a reliable secondary ball handler and playmaker last season, causing them to heavily rely on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams to control the offense.

Wallace has shown flashes of taking on this role, but he still needs to become more aggressive on offense. Aggression is something that increases with time, so it is reasonable to expect him to take control of the offense more and not rely on OKC’s stars as often to create offense.

He has demonstrated that he is a solid passer with a tight handle, resulting in minimal offensive blunders.

If Wallace continues to become more aggressive on offense, he will be someone that OKC will want to keep for as long as they can.