Cason Wallace 2023 NBA Draft: How experts evaluated OKC’s Expansion of Kentucky’s
Kentucky’s Cason Wallace was drafted by the Dallas Protesters, however, following a draft night exchange, it’s the Oklahoma City Thunder who he’ll join to begin his NBA profession. Here is an assortment of what some draft examiners needed to say regarding Cason Wallace being picked with the tenth by and large pick.
A — Bryan Kalbrosky, For the Success/USA Today Sports: “Cason Wallace is a cautious situated monitor who can give strong profundity to the backcourt pivot for the Thunder. … I love adding a low-use, pass-first player like Cason Wallace who can help protect at the place of assault.”
A — Ricky O’Donnell, SB Country: “The Thunder climbed two spots to land an ideal reciprocal watchman in Cason Wallace. Cason Wallace is a first-class protector with really fast and very impressive hands. …
Cason Wallace 2023 NBA Draft
He’s one more extreme safeguard and fit shooter for a promising Thunder center that incorporates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams.” B — Danny Chau, The Ringer: The Thunder … keep fabricating their framework of edge players who are essentially great at playing b-ball. Cason Wallace is a straightforward pick, one of the absolute best border safeguards in the draft. …
He’s an effective if unexciting, hostile possibility, yet it’s reasonable to puzzle over whether the Thunder — who have made an exceptional showing creating Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, and Jalen Williams — can open more hostile potential gain, as has been the situation for fundamentally every Kentucky possibility that is broken an NBA pivot.” B — Andy Finkelstein, CBS Sports: “
I’m a Cason Wallace fan, particularly after he was preferred unpleasantly over what we anticipated before his physical issue. He showed playmaking streaks and a decent shot. What you need to ponder is what else Sam Presti has at his disposal since they have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey.
To exchange up for a player who likely would have been accessible some other time when he doesn’t appear to squeeze into the ongoing program neatly is fascinating.” B — Chinmay Vaidya, DraftKings: “Wallace needs the ball in his grasp to have an effect, and he probably won’t have it much in Oklahoma City. The Thunder can stand to take a risk on his potential gain so this is certainly not an all-out expendable however it’s an odd choice.” B — Kevin Sweeney, Sports Showed: “
The Thunder climb to land was seemingly the best non-Wembanyama protective possibility in the draft. Wallace’s hostile game was to some degree conflicting at Kentucky, yet he was constrained into tough spots in a group with restricted floor separating. … Furthermore, Kentucky watchmen have frequently overperformed their draft position in the NBA under John Calipari.” B — Brad Rowland, UPROXX: “
The fit could be somewhat of a test for Wallace in OKC with a backcourt that is as of now very full with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, and others. In a vacuum, Wallace is a strong pick here, however, as he may be the best edge safeguard in the draft. There are a few inquiries regarding his hostile roof, especially as a shooter, yet the general bundle is empowering.”
B-— Kyle Irving, Wearing News: “This is an inquisitive pick, taking into account Oklahoma City as of now has two establishment foundation playmakers in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey. Their grade is less about Wallace as a possibility and more about the logjam of likewise talented watchmen.”
B-— Yippee Sports: “Wallace is the ostensibly awesome on-ball protective gatekeeper in this class and can serenely monitor both backcourt positions at a significant level. He’s an intense gatekeeper who loves to turn the corner and get downhill.
Wallace showed he can play on and off the ball during his one year at Kentucky, and he could be the following extraordinary watchman to emerge from Mentor John Calipari’s framework to raise a ruckus around town.” C+ — Zach Buckley, Seat Report: “When the Thunder like a possibility more than most, it’s normally savvy confiding in their evaluation.
If they felt Wallace was (at any rate) the tenth-best possibility in this class, history says they could without much of a stretch be correct. … His offense is to a greater extent a mishmash, however, that has been the situation with a ton of gatekeepers emerging from Kentucky recently, and they all appear to develop their games at this level. …
This isn’t a range, as gauging Wallace against correspondingly positioned backcourt possibilities like Kobe Bufkin and Jalen Hood-Schifino requires some hair-parting. In any case, I’m not persuaded Wallace will be a hand-in-glove fit with the gatekeepers Oklahoma City has as of now.”