The Thunder have a clear opening after trading Luguentz Dort to the Atlanta Hawks, and Cason Wallace looks like the obvious name to slide into that starting spot. But Oklahoma City would be making a mistake if it treated him like a straight-up Dort replacement.
Wallace can handle the defensive burden. He’s already proven he belongs in that conversation, and the numbers back it up. Dort ranked No. 1 in the NBA in perimeter isolation defense in 2025-26, per Basketball Index, while Wallace checked in in the 95th percentile in the same category and finished No. 3 in the league in off-ball chaser defense.
That’s the easy part of the comparison. The harder part is remembering that Wallace is not built exactly like Dort.
Dort made his name as a rugged off-ball offensive piece and a nightmare when defending in isolation. Wallace brings more variety to the table. He’s a ball hawk who can create shots, make plays for others and attack with the ball in his hands.
The gap shows up in the numbers, too. Wallace ranked in the 76th percentile in rim shot creation, while Dort landed in the 39th percentile, per Basketball Index.
Wallace averaged 5.4 drives in 26.6 minutes per game; Dort averaged 2.7 in 26.8. Wallace also landed in the 64th percentile in ball dominance and the 74th percentile in passing creation volume.
Dort was in the 30th percentile in ball dominance and the 34th in passing creation volume.
Even on the defensive end, Wallace’s game goes beyond simply sticking him on an opponent’s top scorer and calling it a day. He averaged 2.6 steals per 36 minutes in 2025-26, compared with Dort’s 1.2. That kind of disruptive activity is part of what makes Wallace such a dangerous player.
The Thunder have to be careful not to squeeze that out of him. If they only ask Wallace to replicate Dort’s role, they risk cutting off the very traits that make Wallace valuable in the first place.
That’s where the challenge comes in. Oklahoma City already has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams in the starting lineup, so there isn’t a ton of room for everyone to handle the ball. Still, if Wallace is going to keep growing, the Thunder need to let him explore more than just the narrow lane Dort occupied.
Wallace will need to keep defending at a high level and improve his jump shot in catch-and-shoot situations. But he also needs the freedom to keep developing as an attacking ball-handler, a creator and a finisher at the rim. At 22, that’s the path that gives him the best chance to become more than a replacement.
In Other News...
Kawhi Finally Returns To OKC In A Full Circle Thunder Moment
Kawhi Leonards name still sits in the middle of one of the most consequential detours in recent Thunder history, because his push for a co-star helped set in motion the Clippers move for Paul George. Oklahoma City cashed in on that chain reaction in a way that reshaped the franchise, turning those dealings into the foundation for a roster built around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.
Now Leonard is set to come through Oklahoma City again with the Toronto Raptors, a reminder of how much has changed since the Clippers era that once revolved around him. The Clippers later cap-circumvention penalty only deepened the strange full-circle feel around the whole saga, but the next chapter for Thunder fans is the visit itself, and what kind of reception follows when Leonard steps back into that building. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Spurs Suddenly Feels Like The NBAs Biggest New Grudge Match
The Thunder and Spurs have gone from intriguing Western Conference powers to the kind of matchup the league can market around, with their seven-game Western Conference Finals in 2026 still fresh enough to give every meeting some carryover. Oklahoma City and San Antonio enter this season as co-favorites for the title, and the appeal is obvious: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on one side, Victor Wembanyama on the other, two franchise players who give the rivalry both star power and a real sense of direction.
There is also the schedule itself, which will keep the conversation alive even before the stakes rise again in the spring. The teams will see each other only a handful of times in the regular season, and the first one already has the feel of an event, a reminder that these meetings are starting to matter well beyond one playoff series. If the last postseason was the introduction, this season is shaping up to be the stretch where the NBA learns whether this is a one-off showdown or the start of something bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Get One Massive Home Test Against LeBron And New-Look Sixers
Philadelphia is entering the new season with a dramatically different look after landing LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in an offseason swing that sent Paul George and future draft picks to Boston. The result is a roster that suddenly feels built for the spotlight, with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe expected to headline a starting group that will draw plenty of attention every time it takes the floor.
For Oklahoma City, the appeal of this matchup goes beyond the names involved. The Thunder will get one of the marquee dates on the calendar when the Sixers come through in February, part of a schedule that already has Philadelphia lined up for plenty of national TV exposure. It is the kind of game that can reveal a lot about how the Thunder stack up against a retooled contender, even before the broader race in the league starts to sort itself out. [Read more 🡒]