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Cason Wallace, 19 years old, from the Kentucky Wildcats will participate in the upcoming 2023 NBA Draft. Wallace is projected to be drafted in the mid to late first round. He is 6-foot-4 and averaged 11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game for the Kentucky Wildcats.
As per ESPN's Jonathan Givony, Wallace is projected to be a number 15 pick by the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks' defense has struggled in the past few years. This past season, they finished 41-41 despite adding Dejounte Murray to bolster their defense.
Their coach Quin Snyder is also making a desperate effort to improve the team's defense. However, the Hawks' core identity remains Trae Young, who is not a strong presence on that end of the court.
The addition of Cason Wallace would be a step in the right direction for the Hawks. He would add to their defensive identity and hopefully change the character of the team. Wallace described his defensive mindset as:
“It’s just gotta be in you...dog mentality...You can’t teach it. That’s just who I am as a person, and it’s always been there since I was a little one...I know how to read defenders. When I watch film, I think about how I can be disruptive and beat them to spots or how I should go about guarding them.”
With this defensive tenacity, Wallace could bring a ton of value to the Hawks and is projected to be picked at number 15.
Is Cason Wallace an NBA-level player?
Cason Wallace is not an offensive superpower, but he is definitely an elite-level defender. Wallace averaged 2.0 steals per game. With his quick hands and a good build, Wallace is a versatile defender who could turn out to be a great two-way player in the NBA. Wallace takes his defensive assignment personally and puts in his best effort to lock players up.
Wallace is also a great passer of the basketball. Sahvir Wheeler, Kentucky's primary point guard, was injured for the last six weeks of the season. During this time, Wallace was asked to be the primary ballhandler. Wallace seems to have a good feel for the game as he was able to take on this challenge and come out on top of it. He has the ability to make those around him look better.
Wallace is ready to adapt and grow to the different needs of the game. As a 19-year-old, this is a great mindset to possess. Wallace shared his approach to the game:
"NBA teams saw that I'm not going to back down. I'm always going to fight, no matter the situation. I'm looking forward to showing that I can do everything on the court, anything I'm asked. I'm going to develop each part of my game, my shot and handles. I'm going to get stronger, faster and quicker in the pre-draft process."
With this approach, Cason Wallace is certainly going to continue to grow and improve his game. Any NBA team would be lucky to have his mental and defensive tenacity along with his ball-handling and spot-shooting abilities.
