Cason Wallace NBA Draft 2023: Scouting report, age, projected teams and more
Cason Wallace is among the better point guards in the 2023 NBA Draft. Standing at 6' 4'', the Kentucky guard has good size for his position and boasts a 6' 8'' wingspan.
Entering the NBA, Wallace will be seen as a high-level point-of-attack defender who can guard multiple positions and hang with NBA talent on the perimeter. During his tenure with Kentucky, Wallace displayed a ferocious hustle on defense. His willingness to impact winning outside of the box score will endear him to coaches around the league.
"Defends much bigger than his height would suggest. Much like Jrue Holiday, he hounds opponents with his length, toughness, and fundamentals," Kevin O'Connor wrote.
"On the ball, he stays seated in a low stance with arms wide, ready to poke at the ball or position himself to disrupt the path of opponents. With great strength, he’s able to withstand contact from stronger scorers, using his footwork to beat big wings to spots and then absorb contact without moving."
On offense, Wallace will likely be tasked with providing an off-ball scoring threat due to his catch-and-shoot ability, while his physicality will allow him to develop a downhill game. However, the incoming rookie will need to improve his self-creation off the dribble if he wants to become a three-level scoring threat."
Recent mock drafts from ESPN, CBS and The Ringer have Wallace being taken in the mid-first-round, with the 15th and 16th spots seeming like a safe bet for the defensive guard.
Unlike some other defensive prospects in this year's draft, Wallace does project to bring offensive upside from day one. That could give the young guard a platform to rise up into the lottery heading into June 22.
ESPN sees Cason Wallace going to Hawks
According to ESPN's latest mock draft by Jonathan Givony and Jeremey Woo, Cason Wallace could be primed to join the Atlanta Hawks as the 15th pick in this year's draft.
Cason Wallace would provide some additional steel to an Atlanta rotation that looked far too susceptible at the defensive end in recent years. For all of Trae Young's offensive upside, his presence on the floor does require a defensive-minded rotation around him. Atlanta moved to ease their perimeter defensive issues last season, acquiring Dejounte Murray via a trade.
However, adding Wallace would give Quin Snyder an additional point-of-attack defender to plug into the rotation. That would also help ease some of the defensive pressure off Murray's shoulders while also limiting teams' ability to hunt and punish Young.
"Wallace checks those boxes and should be an above-average point-of-attack defender the moment he enters the NBA after one season at Kentucky in which he finished fourth in the SEC in steals per game," CBS Sports Gary Parish wrote, when placing Wallace with the Los Angeles Lakers in his own mock draft.
During his time with Kentucky, Cason Wallace averaged 11.7 points, 4.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and two steals per game while shooting at 44.6% from the field and 34.6% from the 3-point range.
Hopefully, Wallace finds himself on a team that would entrust him to grow his offensive game along with being part of their defensive scheme.