Draft 2023 | Presentation by Cason Wallace (Kentucky)

Youngest of the line of leaders trained under the orders of John Calipari in Kentucky for years, the “freshman” Cason Wallace has the qualities to make as good a transition to the NBA as Tyrese Maxey, Immanuel Quickley or even better Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lately, with whom he identifies.

A native of Texas, a real “pipeline” of recruitment among high school students from “Coach Cal” in Lexington, Cason Wallace has asserted himself this season as an individual as a rare ray of sunshine in a season not always very happy collectively for the Wildcats. Holder in all games at the lead, historically the key position in John Calipari’s “one-and-done” empire, he has indeed confirmed all the potential that we knew of him from his high school years, particularly in the defensive area. In a frankly archaic offensive system, he also displayed good qualities of “shotmaking”, more advanced and developed than one could imagine.

If his ceiling remains a question mark, because it depends on the context in which he will continue his development among the pros, his floor is on the other hand certain, because high and therefore reassuring. In the NBA, Cason Wallace will be a solid contributor on both sides of the court, and can establish himself as a starter eventually.

Profile

Job : Leader
Size : 1m93
Weight : 88kg
Crew : Kentucky Wildcats
Stats 2022/23: 11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists

Strong points

– elite defender. It was his strong point in high school, the one that boosted his evaluation in the “scouts” and justified his place as the fifth best high school student in his age group. It is therefore no surprise that in recent months during his “freshman” season, he has confirmed his defensive gifts under the tunic of Kentucky. Physically imposing for a leader without being a “freak” (1m93 for 88kg, wingspan of 1m98), Cason Wallace has shown himself capable of defending absolutely anyone at the NCAA level, in particular thanks to an intractable lateral mobility and very responsive support. In particular at the “point-of-attack”, a future big strong point for defending in an NBA which systematically relies on the “switch”. Also good at changing his pace and in particular decelerating on “closeouts”, he seems to be able to defend effectively everywhere on an NBA field from his debut. Finally, impossible to mention the defensive qualities of Cason Wallace without mentioning his kleptomaniac hands: 2 interceptions per game this season! As reactive on his support as with his hands, the Dallas native will be a difficult player in the NBA to cross for slow or athletic players, and will even be a pain for the most “crafty” and explosive ball carriers in the league. league.

– Qualities in creation (for him, and others). Throughout the season, Cason Wallace has effectively proven that he is not just a defensive leader. On the other side, the leader of Kentucky has also shown himself capable of weighing, by revealing interesting flashes to the “playmaking”, without being a very high level creator either. Simple but effective readings for the others, with an average of 4.3 passes (despite a weak “spacing”) which relates to a good mastery of the “pick-and-roll” and more broadly to a good reading of the game on half -field, but also for himself. At mid-distance in particular, an area where he has shot 45% success this season. He knows how to decelerate to land his support suddenly and surprise his defender, and his shooting mechanics are convincing. It is on this point that he recalls Tyrese Maxey or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, from whom he draws inspiration. Behind the arc, he operates for the moment mainly in “catch-and-shoot”, and his relative efficiency in this exercise (41% on 3.7 shots / game) suggests that he will also be able to sanction when leaving the dribble in this area in the pros, eventually.

Weak points

– Really a leader? A ball carrier, yes, but a real playmaker? This is the questioning around Cason Wallace, particularly when we look at his projection in the NBA. And precisely, among the pros, the player seems more promised to a role of combo-guard “alongside a real leader” playmaker “than a role of first creator. For what ? Because his dribbling, at present, is not at the level of a main ball carrier in the NBA. A little too raw and not subtle enough to allow him to make a difference technically, especially against the many good outside defenders in the NBA. Especially since he is not the most explosive of leaders, and will struggle to create separation against his defender. Which suggests that he will therefore be used more as a “combo”, a secondary creator or a support as a finisher, with in particular his solid shot, alongside a primary creator. In absolute terms, this is not a big weak point, but it is the testimony of a “skillset” not sufficiently fleshed out to be a player to whom to give the leather with blind confidence in all circumstances.

Comparison

Jrue Holiday, for the defender leader profile. shades of Marcus Smart And Dennis SchröderAlso.

Prognosis

Enter here 10th and 15th place. One thinks in particular of Toronto, in search of a reinforcement and a long-term option on the back lines in the event of departures of Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr this summer at the “free-agency”.