{"id":168682,"date":"2025-12-03T10:04:21","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T15:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=168682"},"modified":"2025-12-03T10:04:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T15:04:21","slug":"cason-wallace-dpoy-odds-skyrocket-with-recent-feat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/12\/03\/cason-wallace-dpoy-odds-skyrocket-with-recent-feat\/","title":{"rendered":"Cason Wallace DPOY Odds Skyrocket With Recent Feat"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wallaca01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cason Wallace<\/a> DPOY hype is getting more traction after the Thunder guard was named the Western Conference Defensive Player of the Month.\u00a0 Wallace is seeing a bigger spotlight in his games as he continues to put up massive defensive performances in his games. So far, the Thunder going 20-1 record in games where he is playing is strong proof of that. Now more than ever, it seems that he is getting more love for the race for the Defensive Player of the Year.<\/p>\n<p>Only a few guards have won the DPOY over the years. Not every guard who&#8217;s made their presence felt on the defensive end has been successful in earning year-end honors by the end of the season. Cason Wallace, however, may be gunning to be one of the few exceptions in that regard. Considering that he is making his presence felt in the DPOY race, that seems to be feasible at this point.<\/p>\n<h2>Cason Wallace DPOY Odds Skyrocket With Recent Feat<\/h2>\n<p>While his co-Kentucky product <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gilgesh01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a> continues to <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/11\/11\/shai-gilgeous-alexander-top-mvp-candidate-so-far\/\" target=\"_self\">build a strong MVP case<\/a>, Wallace has been in a league of his own. He may not be the favorite for the DPOY just yet. Edging fellow candidate and frontrunner <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/holmgch01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chet Holmgren<\/a> for the monthly honors is a start. Just in his third year in the NBA, Wallace is solidifying his presence in the Thunder roster.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace and Toronto Raptors guard-forward Scottie Barnes have been named the Kia NBA Western and Eastern Conference Defensive Players of the Month, respectively, for games played in October\/November.<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NBAAfrica?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#NBAAfrica<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NBA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#NBA<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/YI21XBYwjB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/YI21XBYwjB<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NBA Africa (@NBA_Africa) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBA_Africa\/status\/1996100993877245957?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">December 3, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>Wallace Has Been a Standout Defender this Season<\/h3>\n<p>After capping off a championship campaign with OKC, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/07\/27\/rising-thunder-guard-cason-wallace\/\" target=\"_self\">Wallace has been a man on a mission<\/a>. From being one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/09\/caruso-wallace-combo-great-okc\/\" target=\"_self\">pivotal defensive combos<\/a> with <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/carusal01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alex Caruso<\/a>, he is now a pillar of the Oklahoma City defense. Many have fallen victim to this defensive scheme last year, and it has even improved now more than ever. They have a rating of 103.6 per 100 possessions, which is 7.0 better than the next team on the list. Wallace, for what it&#8217;s worth, represents a huge chunk of that success.<\/p>\n<p>One of the biggest reasons why the Cason Wallace DPOY hype is coming alive is because of his steals. Wallace is third in the league in <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/players\/traditional?PerMode=PerGame&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=STL\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">steals per game<\/a> (2.2) and second in <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/players\/traditional?PerMode=Totals&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=STL\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">total steals<\/a> (46). He is also third when it comes to <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/players\/hustle?amp;dir=1&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=DEFLECTIONS\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">deflections<\/a> (5.0 per game). That&#8217;s quite on-par with last year&#8217;s DPOY runner-up <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/daniedy01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dyson Daniels<\/a>, who led the league in steals last season. But what makes Wallace special is the ability to play off the ball.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Cason Wallace was named the Western Conference Defensive Player of the Month for October\/November.<\/p>\n<p>Wallace leads the NBA with 2.2 steals per game and leads the West in deflections.<\/p>\n<p>Chet Holmgren and Lu Dort were also nominated.<\/p>\n<p>Amen Thompson was the only non-Thunder nominated. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3ABVjkfQds\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/3ABVjkfQds<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BrandonRahbar\/status\/1995954385885745474?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">December 2, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The fact that he has 46 steals and 52 assists so far in 21 games for the Thunder is stunning. This generational defense by OKC is not a thing without Cason Wallace. And if you&#8217;re wondering about the DPOM honors, Holmgren and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/dortlu01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lu Dort<\/a> were also nominated for the award. That alone shows you how big this defensive team is to begin with.<\/p>\n<h3>Cason Wallace Continues to Improve His Level of Play<\/h3>\n<p>As much as there are drastic improvements for players who become stars, Wallace may be content with his role. After all, who doesn&#8217;t want to anchor one side of the best defense in league history?<\/p>\n<p>Wallace is averaging 8.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.2 steals per game this season. Sure, he isn&#8217;t a big hitter as <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mitchaj01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ajay Mitchell<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/10\/30\/can-ajay-mitchell-win-6moty-for-the-thunder\/\" target=\"_self\">suddenly became this season<\/a>, but he&#8217;s definitely playing his part. Players like Dort and Caruso don&#8217;t need to score big to be vital to the Thunder&#8217;s success, and yet Wallace is somehow enjoying the best of both worlds. He is fitting seamlessly with the team, and it cannot be denied that he is looking to be a franchise piece as well.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\u201cShould you pass the ball when Cason Wallace is nearby?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>-No<br \/>-Don\u2019t<br \/>-Hope you like turnovers<br \/>-\ud83e\udd32<a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/6m1KfH0Xto\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/6m1KfH0Xto<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Michael Martin (@MichaelOnSports) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MichaelOnSports\/status\/1996072390690820543?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">December 3, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>We have seen how <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/11\/21\/top-5-thunder-trades-engineered-by-sam-presti\/\" target=\"_self\">Sam Presti has managed this team well with a flurry of trades<\/a> over the years, and Wallace is a product of that. He was a draft night trade by the Thunder, and look how much of a steal he&#8217;s become since then. This year is a major leap for Wallace, and he is expecting to see bigger strides in the next 60 games for the team.<\/p>\n<h3>What to Expect From Cason Wallace?<\/h3>\n<p>Getting Defensive Player of the Month honors is a good case to let Wallace enter the DPOY odds, too. He is slowly building his resume of being one of the Thunder&#8217;s defensive-minded players. Sure, some will have doubts about the 22-year-old. But at this rate, he may even end up becoming an All-Defense selection for OKC. On top of that, he may even have the last word on the DPOY race if he continues this level of play, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/10\/10\/chet-holmgren-dpoy-odds-can-he-beat-victor-wembanyama\/\" target=\"_self\">potentially contesting the likes of Holmgren<\/a> and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wembavi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Victor Wembanyama<\/a> for the said award.<\/p>\n<p>Should Wallace keep up the same momentum, there&#8217;s indeed a high chance that he can break through and come a surprise finalist for the DPOY in the long run.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a9 Petre Thomas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Cason Wallace DPOY hype is getting more traction after the Thunder guard was named the Western Conference Defensive Player of the Month.\u00a0 Wallace is seeing a bigger spotlight in his games as he continues to put up massive defensive performances in his games. So far, the Thunder going 20-1 record in games where he [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5536,"featured_media":168718,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,62,22],"tags":[2037,4776,1489],"class_list":["post-168682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-nba","category-thunder","tag-alex-caruso","tag-cason-wallace","tag-shai-gilgeous-alexander"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5536"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=168682"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168682\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":168719,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168682\/revisions\/168719"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/168718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=168682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}