Cason Wallace shares how Kentucky, John Calipari prepares players for NBA

Cason Wallace is the latest in a long line of premium guards to ascend to the pros out of Kentucky after being selected in the top 10 of the 2023 NBA Draft.

Over the years, UK head coach John Calipari has sent multiple guards — John Wall, Devin Booker, Jamal Murray, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyler Herro, De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Maxey, to name a few — to the NBA as first-round draft picks.

During his introductory press conference with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Wallace explained exactly what makes Kentucky the place to be for developing backcourt players.

“On the court, [Calipari] puts us in good situations to display what we’re good at. If it’s something we’re not so good at, he tries to tell us to stay away from it,” Wallace said in his introductory press conference. “He still gives us the freedom to display who we are on the court, off the court. We have a great medical team, a great team that helps us manage media.

“I feel like they set us up with a pretty good platform.”

During his lone season at Kentucky, Wallace averaged 11.7 points, 4.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and two steals per game in the 32 games played throughout his freshman season.

He was a do-it-all player for UK as an offensive standout and developed as the lead guard over the course of the season while also making the case as the team’s best defender. His production earned him a distinction on the SEC’s All-Freshman Team this past year.

Wallace went on to be selected No. 10 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft earlier this month after the Thunder traded up to select him — something that he has said “means a lot to him.” Now, he teams up with one of the top-scoring threats in the league in fellow Kentucky point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

During the pre-draft process, Wallace commented on what he admired about his new teammate’s game, saying that Gilgeous-Alexander “plays with pace, creates his own shot, and looks like a team player to me.” Wallace even went as far as saying Gilgeous-Alexander is the best player in the NBA right now.

The first chance fans get to see Wallace in a Thunder uniform will be during the 2023 NBA Summer League. OKC will play in the Salt Lake City division, and their first game is slated for Monday, July 3 against the Jazz. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET live on NBA TV.