Playing in front of an ever-raucous crowd in Salt Lake City is never an easy task. For the Oklahoma City Thunder, they had their fair share of difficulties during their Thursday night road game against the Utah Jazz, a contest they won, 134-129. As per usual, it was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who did the heavy lifting, but with the game hanging in the balance, it was rookie guard Cason Wallace who nailed the dagger three to essentially seal the proceedings.

Wallace, against the Jazz, was called upon by the Thunder to start in place of Luguentz Dort, who was unable to suit up due to an illness. The 20-year old rookie, in addition to making the clutch triple that extended OKC's lead to seven with less than a minute to go, was also extremely efficient, putting up 16 points on 6-7 shooting from the field. In addition to this solid offensive display, Wallace was able to perform his duties on the defensive end as well, with the Thunder not missing a beat despite Dort's absence.

As young as Cason Wallace is, the Thunder are already entrusting him with high-leverage minutes. After all, as head coach Mark Daigneault put it, Wallace is as fearless of a player as there is.

“He’s not flinching. He’s really been like that from the get-go,” Daigneault said in his postgame presser, per Joel Lorenzi of Oklahoman Sports.

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Indeed, Cason Wallace has built a reputation for being as fearless as they come, even dating back to his days in Kentucky. The Thunder are merely reaping the benefits of Wallace's ability to translate that fearlessness into tangible contributions on the hardwood.

The Thunder even traded up for Wallace during the 2023 NBA Draft, a sign that they were confident in his ability to contribute for a team that was making to take the leap into contention. This was a huge sign of faith, especially when the Thunder already had a few guards on their roster behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey.

Only 20 years old, the sky is the limit for Wallace, and the Thunder, a rich team in terms of quality young players and draft assets, only get richer.