DALLAS, TEXAS – DECEMBER 02: Cason Wallace #22 of the Oklahoma City Thunder reaches a loose ball … [+]
On the night of the 2023 NBA Draft, Cason Wallace went through quite the experience. He was technically drafted by his hometown team in the Dallas Mavericks — and wore the hat of the franchise that plays less than 15 miles from the neighborhood he grew up in as he walked across the stage — but would actually be taking his talents roughly 200 miles north to Oklahoma City.
Wallace was part of a draft night trade in which the Thunder traded up two spots, swapping the No. 10 pick for the No. 12 pick with the Mavericks, to land the Kentucky prospect. He played his high school ball at Richardson and actually wore a special suit on draft night with the letters “HPT” written all over it. This acronym stands for Hamilton Park, Texas which is a historic, originally all-Black neighborhood in the northern part of the city, south of Interstate 635 near Lake Highlands.
While he ultimately wouldn’t get the chance to play for his hometown Mavericks, Wallace would be joining one of the fastest rising teams in the NBA with a real opportunity to make an impact as a rookie. In fact, he’s done just that through the Thunder’s first 19 games oh the season. The first-year guard has carved out a significant role, playing the sixth most minutes this season of anyone on the OKC roster.
These minutes are well deserved for Wallace, who has been one of the best two-way rookies in the league thus far. He’s also been the most efficient overall statistically in this class.
As good as Wallace had been to kick off the season, he actually had the best game of his young career over the weekend in his first ever matchup with the Mavericks. In front of his home crowd, which featured friends, family and his high school team in attendance, he put together his most productive performance yet. Wallace was a key piece in the Thunder taking down his hometown team, as he notched 15 points and six rebounds while shooting 6-for-12 from the floor. He finished with a career-high in shot attempts, points and rebounds, really taking his aggressiveness and role to a new level against Dallas. Furthermore, he scored eight of his 15 points in the third quarter which helped to spark a 17-3 close to the quarter for the Thunder.
Following this contest, Wallace spoke about the significance of playing in front of his home crowd and the importance of pulling out a victory.
“The best part was getting the win,” Wallace said postgame. “Down the stretch we had to grind it out at the end. So that was a lot of fun. I loved it. Seeing everybody, bits and pieces of people everywhere throughout the gym that I know. All the love, I really appreciate it.”
To this point in his rookie season, Wallace is averaging just 7.5 points per contest, but shooting 65.4% from two, 52.5% from deep (No. 1 in the NBA) and 84.6% from the free throw line. He’s also been among the team’s best perimeter defenders and has been a playmaker on that end. He plays within himself and understand the role he needs to play in order to have team success.
While there had already been several instances of this before this weekend, Wallace’s performance against his hometown team only further solidified that has was a fantastic selection by the Thunder back in June.
