OKC Thunder Need Cason Wallace To Up 3-Point Volume in 2026-27

Potentially becoming a full-time starter this coming season, Cason Wallace needs to attempt more triples.

Dec 29, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) gestures after scoring a three point basket against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Oklahoma City Thunder's starting lineup now has a wide-open spot following the trade of seven-year starter Lu Dort to the Atlanta Hawks. The favorite to replace Dort in the lineup? Common spot-starter and defensive Swiss-army knife guard/wing Cason Wallace.

Wallace will undoubtedly bring elite defensive intensity in the added minutes he will likely be receiving in a starting role, but with it will come more responsibility his way on the offensive end of the floor. The Kentucky product will not have to be a complete game-changer on that end of the floor, but improvement from behind the arc, or just simply getting more 3-point shot attempts up than he has in the past, will bring OKC to the next level.

The defense-first guard averaged a career-high 8.8 points per game last season and added 2.6 assists and 1.9 steals. He shot 35.1% from 3-point range on a career-high in attempts per game with 3.7.

He ramped up his 3-point shooting in the playoffs, knocking down 48.4% of his looks from deep on 4.1 attempts per game. Wallace has typically shot an equal amount of 2-pointers and 3-pointers throughout his career; if he can raise his 3PAr next season starting alongside OKC's gravity-drawing starting lineup, it'll immediately help out the team.

Wallace will generate a high amount of open looks from outside, starting alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. An example would be Dort's season last year. The now-Hawk shot 71% of his attempts from 3-point range, with 69.8% of them being either open or wide-open triples.

Wallace's 3PAr last season was 49.3% in the regular season, with a mixture of self-created and catch-and-shoot looks off the bench. When forced into playing more with the starters during the playoffs, the statistic rose to 64.6%.

Wallace shot just 33.9% on wide-open 3-point attempts in the 2025-26 regular season; this number will have to rise for OKC's offense to continue to flow. In comparison, Dort shot 42.8% on wide-open perimeter looks during the team's 2024-25 championship season.

"It is less to think about when you're open, so I would say those are the easier shots," Wallace said in his end-of-season presser. "You just got to make 'em."

Wallace does have extended sharpshooting in his repertoire, as he shot 41.9% from deep during his rookie season, but just on 2.9 attempts a night.

Just taking a higher quantity of looks from outside than he has had earlier in his career will keep opposing defenses honest, but if Wallace can begin to knock down those looks close to what he did during the 2026 playoffs and his rookie season, another leap is on the horizon.