Cason Wallace in Top 10 of The Athletic's NBA Mock Draft

MrsTylerKSR

Announcements will be shared in the coming days, but it’s all but assumed that freshman Cason Wallace will enter and stay in the NBA Draft. The freshman guard from Dallas, Texas is a projected lottery pick in most major mock drafts, making the decision to go pro a no-brainer. Today, The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie has Wallace No. 10 in his latest mock draft, going to the Toronto Raptors.

Vecenie compares Wallace to another former Cat from Texas, Tyrese Maxey, and says Kentucky’s spacing (and, I’ll add, Wallace’s injuries) prevented us from seeing his full potential in Lexington.

Cason Wallace is ranked somewhere in the No. 8 to No. 20 range, depending on the evaluator. Some love his defensive ability and didn’t think we got a chance to see Wallace’s offensive game at Kentucky – playing next to Oscar Tshiebwe and Sahvir Wheeler often cramped the spacing around Wallace this season. His college numbers don’t look all that different from Tyrese Maxey’s, another combo guard who has exceeded his draft position after playing at Kentucky a few years ago. Wallace doesn’t quite have Maxey’s level of burst, but he’s already a better defender and was a more consistent playmaker in college. The closer stylistic comparison to Wallace is Jrue Holiday, although Wallace isn’t quite as skilled off the bounce as Holiday was as a one-and-done at UCLA years ago.
The Raptors will need some depth in the backcourt next season with Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. potentially hitting free agency if they decline their player options. Wallace would give them cover if either decided to depart, and his toughness defensively would likely appeal to this organization.
Sam Vecenie, The Athletic

Wallace is the only current Wildcat in Vecenie’s two-round mock draft. Fellow draft hopefuls Oscar Tshiebwe, Jacob Toppin, Chris Livingston, and Antonio Reeves did not make the cut. That said, there is a former Wildcat on the list. Vecenie has Bryce Hopkins at No. 52, going to Boston via Miami.

Reminder: last week, John Calipari said he will begin meeting with players tomorrow to discuss their future plans. It won’t be long before Stay-or-Go season is in full swing.

Cason Wallace in NBA Mock Drafts

I’m sure we’ll get a fresh crop of mocks once players begin declaring for the NBA Draft. Until then, here’s where Wallace stands in the eyes of the pundits: