Can Cason Wallace Take Next Step for OKC Thunder Next Season?

The Oklahoma City Thunder, entering next season as defending champions, are heavy favorites to become the first back-to-back NBA champions in nearly a decade. This status comes after their dominant previous season where they established themselves as the league's best team, evidenced by a historic point differential, one of the best all-time net ratings, and 68 wins. However, they face increased competition as contenders have improved and the Thunder now have a target on their backs.

While the Thunder return their young core, including established stars Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, the article identifies guard Cason Wallace as potentially their most important player for taking a leap next season. Acquired via trade on draft night in 2023, Wallace has already been a key rotation player, contributing elite perimeter defense, solid outside shooting, and incredible athleticism. Despite a more confined role in the playoffs, he showed flashes of a higher ceiling than most role players, averaging 8.4 points, 2.5 assists, and 1.8 steals in 27 minutes per game last season.

The article suggests that while Wallace's minutes might not increase significantly due to the Thunder's depth and potential for blowouts, his impact could grow substantially. A leap would be evident through improved playmaking for himself and others, potentially allowing him to carry the offense for stretches. Although often sharing the court with stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Jalen Williams, Wallace could expand his scoring, similar to Aaron Wiggins' breakout. While reaching Wiggins' 15 points per game might be ambitious, averaging double digits would be significant. Furthermore, increasing his assists from 2.5 per game (already fifth on the team) towards five per night is seen as achievable. Despite development not being linear, Wallace has a strong opportunity for a special leap within the disciplined Thunder system.