Cason Wallace Drops Career-High 27 for Thunder, Ignites All-Star Buzz and Massive Contract Hype

Oklahoma City—Cason Wallace picked the perfect moment to introduce himself to the national audience. The third-year guard exploded for a career-best 27 points, drilling seven threes and grabbing six rebounds as the Thunder stunned the defending champion Denver Nuggets 121-111 on Sunday Night Basketball, a showcase that immediately vaulted his name into league-wide conversation. Wallace’s barrage began on the game’s opening possession, when he curled off a screen and buried a catch-and-shoot triple from a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander skip pass. That rhythm shot foreshadowed an out-of-body third quarter in which the 22-year-old poured in 12 points and personally turned a tight affair into a double-digit cushion. By night’s end he was 9-of-14 from the field and 7-of-11 from deep, the type of flamethrower performance OKC coaches have long believed was hiding beneath his defensive-first reputation. “Confidence was the difference,” Gilgeous-Alexander said post-game. “We wanted him to fire every time he felt comfortable, and tonight every touch felt like it was going in.” Head coach Mark Daigneault added that Wallace’s 75-percent career winning percentage illustrates why the organization trusts him in big moments, even when his role looks narrow on a roster stacked with young talent. The timing of Wallace’s breakout could not be better. Entering February, media chatter revolved around whether Oklahoma City possessed enough complementary shooting to support Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren on a deep playoff run. Over the past two weeks, however, Wallace is averaging 18.6 points, 3.8 assists and shooting a blistering 51.4 percent from three, sparking whispers that the franchise may have found its next in-house star. What makes the surge especially tantalizing for Thunder fans is how seamlessly it pairs with his elite perimeter defense. Wallace entered the night ranked top-10 among guards in steal percentage and defensive EPM, frequently drawing the toughest assignment opposite Gilgeous-Alexander. Against Denver, he hounded first-time All-Star Jamal Murray into a quiet 5-of-17 outing, underscoring a two-way ceiling that scouts projected when Oklahoma City selected him 10th overall in 2023. Season-long numbers already reflect the leap. Wallace is up to 12.9 points on 48.7 percent shooting, 41.2 percent from deep and 1.6 steals per game—all career highs—while maintaining a microscopic 1.1 turnover rate, the best among rotation guards with similar usage. Internal metrics show his on-court net rating hovering above +11, trailing only Gilgeous-Alexander among Thunder regulars. With Oklahoma City sitting atop the Western Conference at 39-14, Wallace’s emergence as a reliable third scorer could shift the conference balance. League insiders already label him a dark-horse All-Defensive candidate; if the offense sustains anywhere near Sunday’s level, an All-Star bid as soon as next season feels realistic. For now, the Thunder are content riding a home-grown nucleus that keeps blossoming ahead of schedule. “I just wanted to be ready when my number was called,” Wallace said. “Tonight the shots fell, but the goal is always the same—win.” If he continues torching nets and suffocating opponents, winning may become routine in Oklahoma City for years to come.