Cason Wallace admits Oklahoma City trading up for him 'means a lot'

Former Kentucky guard Cason Wallace is off to the NBA and just barely became John Calipari’s latest top-10 pick when the Oklahoma City Thunder swooped in and snagged him with the No. 10 selection last Thursday evening. The move featured an exceptionally young team moving up to select another very young rookie — not a surprise for OKC, who has been getting young and staying young the last few years, continuing their upward trajectory.

The latest step in that trajectory for general manager Sam Presti was trading up for and drafting Wallace, who he considers to be the ultimate team player and a perfect edition to a Thunder backcourt that already has one Kentucky superstar in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

As for the moment he was traded and picked, Wallace wasn’t really caught up in the details, but rather, he was just thrilled to hear his name called and in the top 10.

“I was at the interview, and it was like, ‘yeah, you’re going to Oklahoma now.’ I’m like… okay, fine with me. I’m just happy to be in the NBA now. My name was called, and I’m coming to a great organization.”

However, he did appreciate that an organization was so enthralled with his game that they made a move up to select him.

“It meant a lot to me knowing that they believed in me they saw something in me that I might not have seen in myself,” said Wallace. “And I thanked them that I’m a part of this great organization with a wonderful city and great fan base.”

Presti, of course, was bullish about the pick.

“This guy got drafted in the top 10 by just being an incredible team player,” he said, before explaining why they felt the need to trade up last Thursday.

“Our philosophy has always been, try to get as high as you can, and it’s really hard to do that. We are always thinking about how to pick as high as you can. This was I think an opportunity for us that made sense for both teams in a lot of different ways.”

Cason Wallace really is the perfect selection for OKC in the first round, especially at 10. His raw numbers and highlight tape won’t wow you or even impress you, but his consistency will. He’s a consistent defensive presence, perhaps even elite. So is his demeanor, and mostly importantly, his decision-making. You won’t get bad shots or dumb turnovers or missed defensive rotations from Wallace even as a rookie.

That OKC-Kentucky mashup gives Oklahoma City a backcourt that’s wise beyond its years and projects as a darn good one over the next few years.