Loaded Thunder Roster Leaves Cason Wallace In Questionable Spot
The Oklahoma City Thunder are loaded. Proper loaded. They currently even have too many players on the roster, and will need to make cuts before the start of the season.
This could have consequences to not just the guys at the end of the bench, but also lottery selection Cason Wallace, who played for Kentucky last season.
The 6-foot-4 defensive menace is looking at a backcourt where he will have to scrap, claw, and earn every single second on the floor. In front of him stands the International Group of Excellence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, and Vasilije Micić.
(And, heck, we might as well throw the positionless Jalen Williams into that group, as he too can play both guard spots.)
The 2023-2024 campaign could be a long one for Wallace, even if head coach Mark Daigneault gets creative with his rotations. The Thunder appear ready to take a step forward, likely relying on players with experience, and primarily carving out minutes for one rookie, Chet Holmgren.
Where does that leave Wallace?
More than likely, Daigneault will prioritize putting him on the floor in garbage time, at least for now. If the rookie performs defensively - always a straight path to the heart of a coach - eventually there might be a chance coming, especially if Micić has a hard time adapting to the speed of the NBA, however unlikely that seems.
For the Thunder, this raises a larger, overarching question.
With an army of young players, and a slew of incoming draft picks, something's gotta give, and preferably soon. If Wallace, Jaylin Williams, Ousmane Dieng, and future young players aren't in line for necessary development minutes, then those quickly become diminishing assets - a bad situation for any franchise looking to eventually cash in on top-quality talent.
What the course of action should be is, obviously, highly subjective.
Some will argue the Thunder should package the above aforementioned young players and go all-in for a superstar.
(Hello, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Dončić!)
Others will argue the benefits of staying the course, and adopt a philosophy of survival of the fittest. Some might want to tinker with both ideas.
Regardless, for the viewpoint of Wallace and his fellow youngsters, none of that matters if they don't end up seeing the floor for most of the season. And, eventually, if their NBA careers become question marks due to lack of opportunities, they'll seek an out.
How the Thunder proceeds, not just this season, but over the next few years, will be enormously interesting.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
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