OKC Thunder’s Cason Wallace Included As ‘Top Breakout Prospect’

Oklahoma City’s collection of young talent is second to none in the NBA. Obviously, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has graduated from the “young” label and is now a bonafide MVP candidate, but the cupboard is still full for the Thunder.

One of the players that often gets forgotten in discussions about the team’s elite stockpile of talent is second year guard Cason Wallace, who carved out a huge role over the course of his rookie season. It’s incredibly difficult for a rookie to make an impact on one of the NBA’s best teams, but that’s exactly what Wallace did. He was a key contributor all season long, playing in all 82 games, and gained valuable playoff experience across two different series’s.

In Bleacher Report's latest piece, Wallace was listed as the No. 12 breakout prospect across the NBA, and for good reason.

“The Josh Giddey trade (to the Chicago Bulls) could open minutes for Wallace—though Alex Caruso will take some as well,” Eric Pincus wrote. “The Thunder may have the best team in the Western Conference, and Wallace is an integral part of that as a defender who can shoot the three. He hit 41.9 percent as a rookie (on 2.9 attempts), but that may increase.”

Wallace averaged 6.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists a season ago, breaking into Oklahoma City’s loaded rotation on day one. When he was drafted in the lottery, it was unclear what kind of roll he would have considering the team was so deep — and also had plenty of help in the backcourt. But Wallace was too good to keep off the floor.

He’s a terrific three-and-D guard and was able to fit into the specific role Oklahoma City needed him to fill in his rookie season. He has a high ceiling, though, too. He played on the ball often at Kentucky and ran the show as the team’s point guard. He has room to be more aggressive on offense and grow as a dynamic guard in the NBA.