How Might Cason Wallace's, Aaron Wiggins' Role Change Next Season?

It's been discussed how the defending NBA champs in the Oklahoma City Thunder hold a vault of depth within its lineup.

It was a giant factor in its accomplishments a year ago, as various role players down the depth chart sparked momentum for the team throughout the postseason. Two of those players may have gone under the radar, but they were vital cogs in what was the Thunder machine in its 2024-25 campaign.

Those two guys are named Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins, two players on relatively different ends of the spectrum—both of which provided so much value throughout the regular and postseason a year ago.

Wiggins, heading into his fifth season in the NBA and as a Thunder, is a consistent, valuable addition as a sneaky good defender and a slasher on the offensive side virtually every night. But where he can make his most impact in contests where he is truly on is his scoring—Wiggins has shown he can light it up when given the rock at a high rate, and he showcased that several times throughout the regular season and also showed it off in the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers.

His consistency is already huge in itself, but his impact as a scorer is hard to measure when he is all the way locked in.

Aaron Wiggins shooting — Jun 16, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins (21) shoots against Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) during the third quarter of game five of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

And for Wallace, entering his third year as a Thunder, the 21-year old has so much room to grow but is already extremely impressive for his age. His defensive ability is bar none if he was placed on one of many different teams across the league. But for Oklahoma City, he has a couple steps to go before he sees the top defenders on this team.

Regardless, Wallace has the possibility to become one of the best defenders in the entire NBA if his progression continues at this rate. He was alongside the ranks of veterans Alex Caruso and Lu Dort in this postseason, battling with them along the perimeter and holding his own on the biggest stage of basketball.

Wallace contests shot — May 15, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strawther (3) attempts a shot as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) defends in the third quarter during game six of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Theoretically, both of these guys will build on their season a year ago and will have yet another offseason under their belt. And knowing the work ethic of Thunder players, they'll have had no choice but to improve significantly from the offseason prior.

Though, with the depth of Oklahoma City, it'll be difficult for head coach Mark Daigneault to divvy out play time with the exact same roster from last season—plus one in Nikola Topic—but Wallace's and Wiggins' roles won't necessarily be enlarged or shrunken.

If each build off of what they established last season, they'll be in store for a season of progression regardless if they touch the floor more or not. This pair is adept at making the most out of what they're given.