Young OKC Thunder Guard Deserves More Love in DPOY Discussion

Oklahoma City has the best defense in the NBA, and one of its backcourt stoppers should be getting more attention.

Over the past few weeks, the Thunder have gone from a defending champion seemingly on the verge of a dynasty to a 21-1 unstoppable force with no end in sight. While the star power of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has stolen some of the headlines thus far, the Thunder’s all-time great defense has been the story of the season.

With a 103.8 defensive rating, the Thunder are clearly a head above the rest of the league, with more space between them and the second-place Houston Rockets than the space between Houston and 22nd-placed Milwaukee. Unsurprisingly, the Thunder also have the current frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year, with Chet Holmgren being the current favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook at +150.

Yet, another Thunder player might be just as deserving of those Defensive Player of the Year talks. Cason Wallace is the second-highest Thunder player on the odds list, tied for the 10th-best odds at +5000.

Seemingly a lock to make his first All-Defensive team in just year three, Wallace is second in the NBA in steals at 2.2 per game, but his defensive impact goes far beyond what his numbers say. Starting in every game he’s played this season, Wallace has become an undeniably important piece of what Oklahoma City wants to do on both ends, and he’s become arguably the team’s top perimeter defender this season.

With Alex Caruso and Lu Dort coming in and out of the lineup this season with injuries, Wallace has been the Thunder’s most consistent defender. While Dort has always earned the assignment of the top perimeter player on the other side, Wallace has seamlessly taken over that responsibility when Dort has missed time.

Nov 12, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) moves the ball around Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Perhaps the most notable example of that this season was the Thunder’s mid-November back-to-back against the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. With Wallace matched up with the opposing star most of both contests, Stephen Curry managed only 13 points on 4-of-13 shooting before Luka Doncic went for 19 points on 7-of-20 shooting and four turnovers a night later.

Overall, Wallace has truly been a menace defensively, disrupting every part of what opposing offenses are hoping to do against the Thunder. Currently, Wallace is third in the league in deflections at 5.1 per game, leading the Thunder’s league-leading 23.1 per game.

While there are many parts to the Thunder’s elite defense, and credit deserves to be shared all the way around, Wallace should be getting a bit more of the credit for Oklahoma City’s historic start on that end.

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