Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Cason Wallace better thank the referees on Tuesday for letting a major highlight of his stand.
Wallace was defending Los Angeles Clippers star James Harden on an isolation play early in the second quarter at Crypto.com Arena in L.A., Calif.
Wallace could not have been smoother in picking the Beard’s pocket. The 20-year-old tapped the ball to himself with nobody ahead of him in transition.
However, the mix of adrenaline and absence of defenders may have led to Wallace forgetting to dribble. The Kentucky alum took at least four steps before dunking the basketball and trimming the Thunder deficit to 37-32.
Cason Wallace picks James Harden's pocket and dunks after taking 4 or 5 steps 😂 pic.twitter.com/BUG6GI05jG
— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) January 17, 2024
The referees may have afforded Wallace a free pass given the situation. The Thunder guard had nobody near him after a defensive stop against a former MVP that will surely be on Wallace’s rookie highlight reel. That clip isn’t going to trend on social media if it resulted in a travel.
Wallace has shown flashes as a lockdown defender at the guard spot throughout his first year with the Thunder. He’s averaged 6.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks in limited minutes. Wallace may need to work on his ball-handling skills, though.
