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OKC Thunder mailbag: How does Cason Wallace rank among rookies from 2023 NBA Draft class?
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- OKC Thunder mailbag: How does Cason Wallace rank among rookies from 2023 NBA Draft class?
To make future editions of the mailbag, email questions to jlorenzi@oklahoman.com or message him on Twitter @jxlorenzi.
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@stetbanks: After a very small sample size from this year's rookie class, how many guys would you take ahead of Cason Wallace ? Is there anyone that was drafted after him you would take ahead of him?
It's tough, but we always have to keep perspective with prospects. A player that's good now might not be in a couple seasons. One off to a slow start could be a stud a long time from now.
In some future filled with flying cars and androids like "iRobot," Andre Jackson Jr. has an All-Star season and helps the Bucks realize greatness years into the Giannis and Dame pairing. Let's say Year 6 for him, because that's the kind of sense (or lack thereof) that prospects make.
I'm not an oracle, so I can only tell you who makes sense to take over Wallace now. Victor Wembanyama , obviously. Charlotte remains unserious, but Brandon Miller , even without the overwhelming level of responsibility that top-two picks usually have, has still popped.
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I like Jordan Hawkins , too. He's pluggable anywhere as a movement shooter, it just wouldn't make as much sense for OKC to choose him because it has Joe . Jaime Jacquez has been more useful on the ball to lift Miami 's scoring, but obviously OKC requires different things from Wallace.
Those are the players who I'd understand being drafted ahead of Wallace (Jacquez and Hawkins were not) . But with Wallace's glove-like fit with OKC, I'm not sure any of them make as much sense in a Thunder draft except Wembanyama, who stands above everyone and anything — including fit.
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Oklahoma City guard Isaiah Joe (11) dunks the ball in the first quarter during an NBA game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Chicago Bulls at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023.
@prodchar: What do you think pros and cons are of starting ( Isaiah Joe ) instead of Josh Giddey ?
Let's start with the obvious: Giddey hasn't been great. No matter the reason, he hasn't shot very well from anywhere for most of the season. He's been even less effective against zone or when teams simply choose not to defend him closely.
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But two aren't exactly a seamless swap for one another, so I'm not sure I can put this argument into pros and cons. Instead, I'll just make some points.
Starting games doesn't mean nearly as much as closing games, as evidenced by the three minutes Giddey played in the second half of the win over Dallas on Saturday. With how well Joe has shot this season — 46% on 3-pointer attempts — it's been easy to insert him any time OKC wants to keep a defense on its toes.
He's been good coming off screens, in dribble handoffs scenarios, and while mostly average when putting the ball on the floor, he's at least made that wrinkle an option.
But there are a couple reasons I don't think Joe would start. Wallace should (and would) start before him. Mostly because I think there's enough shotmaking in the starting unit to not need a movement shooter like Joe. Still the league's most efficient 3-point shooter at 52.3%, Wallace would suffice on the wing in those lineups. His defense, whether that's at the point of attack or wherever, only makes more sense of his spot as a starter.
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But Joe's presence is also just necessary in the non-SGA, pro-JDub lineups. Those units, especially the ones mostly full of reserves, need Joe's gravity as a shooter to generate some offensive pop.
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@AndreasRav77474: Do you have an all-time favorite player?
People are always confused when I tell them I'm from the West Side of Chicago and not a Bulls fan. But I didn't grow up watching Michael Jordan. Frankly, I could live without his stans.
I grew up on Kobe Bryant . And I grew attached for all the same reasons most Kobe fans did. The scoring and the winning, the obsession and the approach. The shoes, the commercials where he fooled kids like me into thinking he could actually jump over cars and that Kanye West somehow could do more.
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Kobe made me love the game — and the Lakers — to the point I willingly watched guys like Robert Sacre and Tarik Black and Jordan Hill . I'm well removed from my Laker fandom (or fandom for any team) but will always rock with Kobe.
I'm a rational Kobe enjoyer, which is rare. I don't have a GOAT case for him. I think he's top 10 and listen to most arguments about his place in league history.
Outside of Kobe, I've always liked Giannis Antetokounmpo . Most of the players I've latched on to have been big men, past or present. Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Kevin Garnett , Anthony Davis . I just have a different appreciation for the skilled giants. I make a center every year on "NBA 2K".
I rock with Kawhi Leonard and Allen Iverson, too.
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@AndreasRav77474: Is there a specific team in NBA history you have liked more than others?
Those 2010 champion Lakers come to mind, mostly because of how they sparked my love for the game. You can guess how I felt about the 2011 Mavericks back then.
I loved everything about those Lakers, though. Kobe and Pau Gasol . Andrew Bynum before becoming an All-Star. Ron Artest before the name change. Lamar Odom before the Kardashians and drugs. Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar were gutsy and necessary. Shannon Brown was an even rarer athlete back then.
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Outside of them, I liked the Thunder's 2012 NBA Finals team. That was back when I thought Kevin Durant could lead that core — or any core with less than four All-Stars — to a championship. It was fun seeing promising young guns at a time when the league needed heroes to push back on LeBron James ' Miami move.
I followed the 2010's Bucks squads closely because of Giannis. I remember having a weird thing for the Z-Bo Grizzlies . I try to follow everyone, and I lean toward having League Pass teams versus watching national TV games because I hate following the same six franchises.
@wendellsjr_: Favorite thing about Oklahoma City so far?
I haven't been here long enough to have a favorite thing, but I've enjoyed living here. Giving a city that already has such a strong college fanbase — kind of like Omaha, where I worked before this — a pro market converts it into an entirely different city.
My least favorite: The trains that only appear when you're running late.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder rookie Cason Wallace stands out among 2023 NBA Draft class
