{"id":166746,"date":"2025-11-14T10:16:42","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T15:16:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=166746"},"modified":"2025-11-14T10:16:42","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T15:16:42","slug":"thunder-guard-is-an-underrated-candidate-for-dpoy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/11\/14\/thunder-guard-is-an-underrated-candidate-for-dpoy\/","title":{"rendered":"Thunder Guard is an Underrated Candidate for DPOY"},"content":{"rendered":"

With a lot of injuries to its key players, Oklahoma City is now unlocking more of its deeper bench. The team’s short rotation is forcing their hand, and yet they are winning. One of these factors is their rich assortment of talented guards. While all the DPOY noise centers on big men, Cason Wallace<\/a> is starting to be a notable candidate for the year-end award for OKC.<\/p>\n

The Oklahoma City Thunder are enjoying one of their best seasons once more, coming off a championship. It cannot be denied that they remain the heavy favorites to win the NBA Finals once again. But what’s impressive is that they are having a great start even though they are yet to play at full strength.<\/p>\n

Thunder Guard is an Underrated Candidate for DPOY<\/h2>\n

Cason Wallace already had a promising year in 2024-25. He was one of the most impressive pieces that the Thunder have captured off a draft day trade. From being a lowly Kentucky guard to coming up with superb performances in the 2025 NBA Finals, one can even say he’s a steal. But this year is starting to become an even bigger run for him<\/a>, coming up with a larger defensive presence in the league.<\/p>\n

Wallace Deserves DPOY Attention<\/h3>\n

We all know that the DPOY race is somehow still centered on both Victor Wembanyama<\/a> and Chet Holmgren<\/a>. The Spurs center is likely to end up winning the hardware, but it may be a tight one. There are also other notable candidates in the mix. Last year’s winner Evan Mobley<\/a>, last year’s steals leader Dyson Daniels<\/a>, and runner-up Draymond Green<\/a> are also in the race. Even OKC’s own Lu Dort<\/a> is starting to make a case for DPOY<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And then there’s Cason Wallace, who is starting to develop his defensive talent in a crucial time for the Thunder. We have seen how underrated guards are defensively in OKC. There were three Oklahoma City players in the top-10 steals totals last season: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a>, Jalen Williams<\/a>, and Wallace. But if you’re not impressed, Wallace had the second-most steals for the Thunder with 120, just behind SGA.<\/p>\n

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Cason Wallace locked up 2 of the greatest point guards the game has ever seen back-to-back nights.<\/p>\n

ALL-DEFENSE HIM pic.twitter.com\/Z7JzgxrPal<\/a><\/p>\n

— \ud835\ude4e\ud835\ude60\ud835\ude6e\ud835\ude5a\ud835\ude59 \ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa (@SkyedOKC) November 13, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n