Five things to know about Cason Wallace, OKC Thunder's first-round pick in 2023 NBA Draft
The Oklahoma City Thunder traded up to select Cason Wallace on Thursday with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
OKC traded the No. 12 pick to the Dallas Mavericks for the No. 10 pick and Davis Bertans. Here are five things to know about Wallace:
More: What are the Thunder getting in Cason Wallace? He's a Kentucky Wildcat. Enough said.
OKC Thunder adds another Kentucky guard
A 6-foot-4 guard, Wallace averaged 11.7 points and 4.3 assists per game as a freshman at Kentucky.
He now joins Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who spent one season at Kentucky before getting selected No. 11 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers.
Kentucky continues to produce NBA guards. Wallace joins the likes of Gilgeous-Alexander, Devin Booker, De'Aaron Fox, Jamal Murray and others.
More: Carlson: Thunder's newest draftees will be joining a team where development is alive, well
Cason Wallace will be close to home
Wallace grew up in Dallas, which is only about a three-hour drive from Oklahoma City.
Wallace attended Richardson High School in Richardson, Texas. He averaged 19.9 points and 6.1 assists as a senior, which helped him earn Texas' Gatorade Basketball Player of the Year award.
ESPN ranked Wallace as the No. 21 overall player in the 2022 recruiting class. He chose Kentucky over Tennessee, Texas and Texas-San Antonio.
More: Carlson: Chet Holmgren's return is huge not just for Thunder, but OKC's pick in NBA Draft
Cason Wallace is a strong defender
Wallace has the tools to develop into an elite defender at the NBA level.
The 19-year-old combo guard excels at getting into passing lanes. He averaged two steals per game at Kentucky and recorded a steal percentage of 3.7, which ranked 55th in the nation.
Wallace racked up 63 steals with the Wildcats. That ranks third in program history for a one-and-done player, trailing only Rajon Rondo and John Wall.
More: How did Shai Gilgeous-Alexander grow into an OKC Thunder superstar? Look to July 11, 2019
Cason Wallace is efficient on offense
Despite not being the purest scorer, Wallace is efficient on offense.
Wallace recorded an effective shooting percentage of 51.6% at Kentucky, which ranked second on the team. He also averaged 4.3 assists per game and showed good decision making with the ball.
Wallace doesn't have to be the lead ball handler on a Thunder team that has Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey. Still, he's more than capable of facilitating an offense and scoring within the Thunder's system.
More: EuroLeague star Vasilije Micic visits OKC in latest step of NBA dalliance
Cason Wallace received high praise from John Calipari
Following his commitment to Kentucky in November, Wallace received high praise from Wildcats head coach John Calipari.
Calipari said Wallace reminded him of former Kentucky guards Eric Bledsoe and Gilgeous-Alexander. Now, Wallace will get to play alongside Gilgeous-Alexander in Oklahoma City.
More: With another No. 12 NBA Draft pick, OKC Thunder unlikely to find another Jalen Williams
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Five things to know about Cason Wallace, OKC Thunder's NBA Draft pick
