Cason Wallace Breaking Out at Right Time for OKC Thunder

Oklahoma City has been dealing with injuries at ball handler, and it’s opened some opportunities for a young guard to shine.

On Monday night, the Thunder snapped their two-game losing streak with a win in Los Angeles over the Lakers. While the story of the night on the West Coast was Jalen Williams’ return to action, Cason Wallace continued his recent stretch of impressive play.

In Monday night’s win, Wallace finished with 12 points, six assists, two steals and a block. While the defensive impact is simply what Oklahoma City has come to expect from Wallace, his impact on the other end has taken a leap over the past couple of weeks.

Monday’s game marked Wallace’s third straight double-digit scoring performance, tying his season-long. He’s also scored in double figures in five of his past six games overall, good for his most in any six-game stretch this season.

While that’s the first time he accomplished that in year three, he had two such stretches last season in March and April. Considering the Thunder’s fate after his late-season uptick in performance in 2025, this current stretch could bode well for Oklahoma City again.

With at least two of Williams, Ajay Mitchell and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out for every game of this stretch, Wallace’s playmaking has been one of the most impressive parts of his game. Going into last week’s matchup against Orlando, Wallace’s season-high in assists was five, a mark he’d hit just twice. Now, Wallace has dished out at least five assists in four straight games, including his season-best of six against the Lakers.

With Gilgeous-Alexander still out through the All-Star break, and Ajay Mitchell remaining in Oklahoma City for Nikola Topic’s G League debut on Monday, there’s a decent chance that Wallace will remain the primary ball handler alongside Williams for the next two games. With the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks on the schedule, the Thunder will likely get another couple of great looks at Wallace’s development.

While last season it was Aaron Wiggins’ 41-point performance on Feb. 1 that kickstarted his hot stretch to end the year and into the postseason, Wallace’s 27-point outing in Denver on Feb. 1 might just have a similar effect this season. Add in that Wallace will be eligible to sign his rookie extension in the summer, and this stretch, if maintained, could be incredibly beneficial for both the Thunder’s run this season and Wallace’s long-term future.