Cason Wallace is Carving Out a Starting Role for OKC Thunder

Oklahoma City seems to prefer Cason Wallace in the starting lineup.

Dec 3, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) dunks in front of Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) during the first quarter of an NBA Cup game at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Coming into the season, there were no questions about Oklahoma City’s depth on the roster. Top to bottom, the Thunder had — and still have — talent at every position. The main question was surrounding the minute distribution, and more importantly, the starting lineup.

Mark Daigneault explored a few different starting lineups early on, and has since added Isaiah Hartenstein into the mix when he returned from injury. He seems to have landed on a lineup he prefers, though, and that lineup includes Cason Wallace. Of course, Daigneault is known to mix things up, and he likely will do just that over the course of the season. But Wallace is starting to look like a regular starter on this Thunder squad.

Wallace has now started 11 of the team’s 21 total games, including three starts in a row. He started 13 games as a rookie a season ago, and played in all 82 games. He has been ready to play from the moment the Thunder drafted him and has been a big time contributor on this team.

Even with his 3-point shot cold to start the season, he has still found a way to make an impact. Oklahoma City certainly likes his aggressiveness on the offensive end and can live with a few shooting slumps here and there.

On the season, Wallace is averaging 6.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He’s also improved his defensive stats in a big way, too, averaging 1.7 steals.

He’s the perfect plug and play guy for this Thunder team in any lineup. He doesn’t always need the ball in his hands and plays rock solid defense at all times. There’s a reason why Daigneault has found success keeping him in the starting lineup.

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