NBA Draft unites NCAA foes Cason Wallace, Keyontae Johnson together with OKC Thunder
Cason Wallace’s Kentucky Wildcats faced Keyontae Johnson’s Kansas State Wildcats in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, with K-State, the No. 3 seed, getting the 75-69 win over No. 6 seed Kentucky.
Wallace had the better individual game, with 21 points (9-of-11) and nine rebounds, but Johnson, who had 13 points and four rebounds, got the win.
On Saturday afternoon at First National Center in downtown Oklahoma City, Wallace and Johnson sat side-by-side not as opponents, but teammates at their introductory press conference.
The Thunder traded up to snag Wallace with the No. 10 pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday, and Johnson was the Thunder’s second-round selection at No. 50.
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“(Keyontae) was one of the main guys on our scouting report,” Wallace said, thinking back to March Madness, “and (we) tried to contain him as much as possible. But he still played hard throughout the game and he had his moments, and it feels good to be sitting next to him.”
Likewise, Wallace was near the top of Kansas State’s scouting report.
“(We) tried to maintain him,” Johnson said, “but he still went for 20, you know what I mean?”
Johnson and Wallace both laughed.
“Thank you for that intro, appreciate that, man,” Wallace said.
Someone else at that tournament game in Greensboro, North Carolina? Thunder general manager Sam Presti, who didn’t know he was watching two future Thunder players.
Presti hadn’t considered that coincidence until he was asked about it Saturday.
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“Those two teams competed, if I remember correctly the way that it went, it was just a great game from the tip,” Presti said.
“We had followed all these guys for so long, that it wasn’t a tipping point,” Presti added … “but it was definitely helpful.”
Johnson, who will wear No. 18, will sign a two-way contract with the Thunder. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, teams can now sign three players, up from two, to two-way contracts.
Cason Wallace, whose first name is pronounced KAY-sahn, will wear No. 22.
Relatives of Wallace and Johnson attended the introductory press conference, as well as community leaders, Thunder chairman Clay Bennett and coach Mark Daigneault.
“When you think back about how players get to this point in their career, this is the starting point of their professional career, but the ending of their amateur career,” Presti said.
“There’s a lot of hard bleacher seats in high school gyms, AAU events, car rides, pickups, practices, countless time in backyards or playgrounds or gyms all across the world, and this is a really special day for everybody across the NBA, but especially for the two gentlemen that are sitting next to me.”
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Thunder tip-ins
● Presti was asked about Chet Holmgren’s status: “He's had a great offseason.” It’s expected that Holmgren will play in one of or both of the Salt Lake City and Las Vegas Summer Leagues.
● OKC Blue coach Kameron Woods and Thunder assistant David Akinyooye will split head coaching duties during the two summer leagues.
● Johnson, before transferring to Kansas State, was teammates with Tre Mann at Florida: “He blew up my phone and started posting a lot of videos on Instagram,” Johnson said. “I definitely contacted him and talked to him.”
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder picks Cason Wallace, Keyontae Johnson once were NCAA foes
