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Thunder Guard is an Underrated Candidate for DPOY

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports
By Paul Daniel Flores | Last updated Nov 14, 2025 10:16 AM ET

With a lot of injuries to its key players, Oklahoma City is now unlocking more of its deeper bench. The team’s short rotation is forcing their hand, and yet they are winning. One of these factors is their rich assortment of talented guards. While all the DPOY noise centers on big men, Cason Wallace is starting to be a notable candidate for the year-end award for OKC.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are enjoying one of their best seasons once more, coming off a championship. It cannot be denied that they remain the heavy favorites to win the NBA Finals once again. But what’s impressive is that they are having a great start even though they are yet to play at full strength.

Thunder Guard is an Underrated Candidate for DPOY

Cason Wallace already had a promising year in 2024-25. He was one of the most impressive pieces that the Thunder have captured off a draft day trade. From being a lowly Kentucky guard to coming up with superb performances in the 2025 NBA Finals, one can even say he’s a steal. But this year is starting to become an even bigger run for him, coming up with a larger defensive presence in the league.

Wallace Deserves DPOY Attention

We all know that the DPOY race is somehow still centered on both Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren. The Spurs center is likely to end up winning the hardware, but it may be a tight one. There are also other notable candidates in the mix. Last year’s winner Evan Mobley, last year’s steals leader Dyson Daniels, and runner-up Draymond Green are also in the race. Even OKC’s own Lu Dort is starting to make a case for DPOY.

And then there’s Cason Wallace, who is starting to develop his defensive talent in a crucial time for the Thunder. We have seen how underrated guards are defensively in OKC. There were three Oklahoma City players in the top-10 steals totals last season: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Wallace. But if you’re not impressed, Wallace had the second-most steals for the Thunder with 120, just behind SGA.

Cason Wallace locked up 2 of the greatest point guards the game has ever seen back-to-back nights.

ALL-DEFENSE HIM pic.twitter.com/Z7JzgxrPal

— (@SkyedOKC) November 13, 2025

When playing with defensive demons like Dort and Alex Caruso, you’d expect Wallace to take a back seat. You’d usually want him to leave it to the pros, but did you know that he has the most deflections per game for OKC last season? Cason Wallace averaged 3.6 deflections per game, ahead of J-Dub, Caruso, and SGA.

Sure, he was still learning from his game last year. But now Wallace is turning it up a notch to the point where he is definitely worth considering for the Defensive Player of the Year.

Wallace Has Been Shutting Down Elite Players

Remember that Lu Dort graphic showing how he has managed to shut down elite scorers who played against the Thunder? Well, the “Wall of Wallace” is also starting to pile up. With Lu Dort out with an injury for the previous games, Wallace has been the next one to step up. Just like how Ajay Mitchell has excelled in his impressive outing so far this season. Now he’s at the top of the Sixth Man of the Year conversations.

In the last three games for OKC, Wallace has shut down Ja Morant, Stephen Curry, and Luka Doncic. These aren’t just ordinary players, but star guards who we know have a knack for scoring at a high level. Those three players combined for a 14/51 shooting when guarded by Wallace. The Thunder guard is putting in the clamps, and it should get a lot of praise considering how hard it is to defend these players.

Cason Wallace's last 3 primary matchups:

Ja Morant: 11 points, 3-18 FG, 3 TO

Steph Curry: 11 points, 4-of-13 FG, 1-5 3PT

Luka Doncic: 18 points, 7-20 FG, 4 TO

CLAMPS pic.twitter.com/HEEeyG8XyU

— Cooper Jones (@CooperJNBA) November 13, 2025

That kind of ability to guard, not draw a lot of fouls, and even shut down these stars is a huge feat. Not everyone can do that consistently, and that says a lot about why Wallace should definitely get some DPOY love.

Does Wallace Have a Chance to Win DPOY?

Cason Wallace is fourth in deflections per game at 4.8 and leading the league in steals per game at 2.3. He’s even in a tight race with Daniels for the most total steals so far this year, which says a lot about his DPOY case already. To be fair, not a lot of guards have won the said award. Only six guards have locked the award so far, with Marcus Smart being the latest in 2022. Daniels was the closest to pulling off the feat once more, but lost to Mobley last year.

Wallace is making a strong case in just 12 games for the Thunder. There are a whole lot of games to be played for OKC, and they are even gunning for yet another historic season. Now more than ever, it is expected that Wallace may end up being a promising candidate in the long run. He would, however, need to come up with miraculous performances to edge out either Wembanyama or Holmgren for the award.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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