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Cason Wallace will begin his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The former Kentucky guard was selected with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday night by the Dallas Mavericks. According to NBA insider Shams Charania, Wallace will be rerouted to the Thunder as part of a deal for the No. 12 pick.
Either way, it’s another lottery selection for Big Blue. And with it, the Wildcats have now made it 14 consecutive years with a first-round pick, dating back to 2010.
Though he measured in at 6-foot-2 without shoes, the combo guard is a rugged defender with immense potential on that end of the floor in the NBA. He can handle bigger players than his height would suggest and has often been compared to Jrue Holiday.
Wallace averaged 11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.0 steals a game during his lone season with the Wildcats. He landed on the SEC All-Freshman Team after starting 32 of 34 games for Kentucky, which finished 22-12.
He shot 44.6% from the field and 34.6% from 3-point range. Wallace is still developing as a shot creator for himself, but he showed plenty as a spot-up shooter.
The former 5-star recruit landed at Kentucky after a highly-decorated prep career in Texas. He was a McDonald’s All-American and the No. 10 recruit in his class, per the 247 Composite.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
