Much of the spotlight on the Oklahoma City Thunder’s rookies last season focused on Chet Holmgren, its No. 2 selection from the 2022 NBA Draft. He immediately entered the lineup as its franchise center of the future, completing quite a first campaign that only rivaled the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama for the Rookie of the Year award.

There wasn’t just one rookie who played his way into an important role on the Thunder roster, though. Cason Wallace quietly became a valuable contributor on its bench and received All-Rookie Second Team honors of his own.

The former Kentucky Wildcat appeared in all of Oklahoma City’s 82 games and the entirety of the postseason, asserting himself as a consistent and reliable option in not only the backup guard slot but even as a starter at times.

“Playing the whole season was one of my goals,” Wallace explained in last season’s exit interview, “I just want to be available. I was told that availability is the best ability. Just making sure I was there for every game, even with feeling the way I felt sometimes, you know, I had to push through it.”

Of the many goals Wallace surely had coming in as a rookie, being available was a priority. If he wasn’t, it would’ve been hard to crack a place in a rotation, especially for a team that went on to secure the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. But of course, that isn’t the only part of being successful in the NBA. He had to prove his worth.

It didn’t take the 20-year-old particularly long to get comfortable with the Thunder. He’s not the type of player to overstep offensively and do too much, but when he does look to score, he does it as efficiently as anyone. Defensively, he’s as tenacious as they come, adding to an already long list of elite-level perimeter defenders.

Now approaching his sophomore season, Wallace’s role is only expected to grow. He’s the lead backup guard behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and has plenty of opportunity to work his way into the starting shooting guard position depending on the matchup. There’s clear potential for a second-year jump, and he’s likely Oklahoma City’s top breakout candidate.

The reason why that jump is so easy to believe is because Wallace did everything so right in his first year. Shooting 49% from the field and 42% from behind the arc is an impressive feat for any guard, but especially one that’s a rookie. To also defend the way he did and make high-IQ decisions on a game-by-game basis, expecting anything less than him to continue progressing is hard to believe.

Wallace knows what steps he needs to take to make a leap happen, and it ultimately comes down to being more confident in his game.

“Being more decisive when I have the ball in my hands,” Wallace said, “not just being a shooter, being able to play inside the line as well.”

After establishing himself as a part of the Thunder’s core last season, Wallace will have every opportunity to increase his offensive output through increased playing time. There’s an expectation for him to improve, he just has to seize the chances he’s given.

Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.