[The following scouting report is part of a series on potential 2023 draft prospects from Sports Business Classroom alumni.]

Cason Wallace
Frame: 6’4″, 193 lbs
Position: Guard
School: Kentucky
Year: Freshman
2023 Draft Age: 19
Stats via sports-reference

Offense

Despite playing on a guard-heavy team, Wallace has shown enough to stand out and climb the draft boards. He’s usually leading Kentucky’s offense, head up, looking ahead for open teammates. Wallace has that lead guard mentality to initiate the offense, get everyone involved and knock down open shots from deep on kick-outs if needed on a broken play. Wallace is connecting on 42 percent from three and around 47 percent from the field overall. His shot mechanics are smooth, but he could benefit from a slightly higher release point. He can be dangerous in transition due to his ability to make proper reads and take the ball to the basket himself.

Wallace does not shy away from contact or physicality on his drives. He can hit highly contested shots with good efficiency, whether it be layups at the rim or floaters. Wallace has a polish to his game that is rarely seen in such a young prospect. The combination of athleticism, length and versatility makes him difficult to stay in front of, even though he doesn’t always display explosive blow-by-speed on his first step. He picks and chooses his attack lanes very well, with an understanding of his ability and skills.

Wallace’s ability to create for himself and his teammates stands out. Many looks come out of pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop actions with 15 seconds or less on the clock. If the lob over the top to forward/center Oscar Tshiebwe is available, that pass is also made. He can carve his way into the lane for a mid-range pull-up, which he hits with consistency at a 53 percent clip, or get downhill close to the basket and finish strong in the paint with layups or a floater. Wallace also has two long-range hot spots where he shoots around 55 percent on the right-side corner and the wing-extended left side of the court. Increasing productivity in other long-range spots will also open up his driving game.

Defense

On the defensive side of the ball, Wallace’s athleticism allows him to stay in front of his assignment. He has long arms that he uses to disrupt passing lanes (averaging two steals a game). He rebounds well for his size and positioning on the floor, showing a willingness to mix it up n the paint when needed. Wallace is a disciplined player and takes his defensive assignment, often the opposing team’s best offensive player, as a personal quest to lock him down. Wallace is switchable defensively through three positions and has quick hands, as the steal numbers display.

His ability to stay low in a stance, remain in front of his assignment and continually move his feet properly make him one of the better defenders in the draft, especially at his age. His defensive quickness, energy, and ability to see both ball and man in off-ball situations allows him to fake and recover in help defense. Wallace also has a good head on his shoulders to play aggressively without fouling. He can block a shot or two if given a good look at it going up due to his length and ability to close out. Wallace’s transferable defensive skills will shine at the next level.

 

Looking Ahead

Wallace projects as a lottery pick for this year’s draft. While there are areas he needs to develop, the combination of physical tools and mental toughness is exactly what you want in a lottery-type player. He makes the hustle plays on both sides of the ball that impact the game and team in ways that don’t always show up on the stat sheet. He may not wow you with flash every night, but he will impact winning and the locker room.

His position is a little difficult to project, but Wallace would benefit from focusing on his ball-handling and playmaking abilities. This would show teams that he is committed to finding a role and making adjustments needed for success. He does everything well enough to be competent as a lead or off guard, but nothing overwhelmingly elite to pencil him into a specific role. While this helps in some cases, it hinders in others as Wallace would be a bit undersized for the off-guard role full-time, but his playmaking and ball handling are not up to the level needed to run a team on the floor at the next level.

David Wesley is a similar (retired) player to Wallace, although a tad shorter. The same reservations were mentioned about his game translating to the NBA level. Yet, he was able to carve out a successful 15-year career on toughness and his ability to keep getting better and working on his game.

Wallace has mentioned Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as his favorite player. While I don’t expect the type of jumps Gilgeous-Alexander has shown recently, Wallace seems to keep a few extra tricks in his bag and not showing his full talent. Maybe this is just his ability to adapt to Coach John Calipari’s system and play to strengths at Kentucky, or he could be wanting to knock his workouts out of the park when it comes to the combine and team meetings and show things he’s only flashed thus far. Expect to hear Wallace’s name early in the top 10 of this year’s draft.