Is it time for the Thunder to start the Lou Dort conversation?

Up by two (102-100) with 2:13 left to play in a 112-107 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder starter Lou Dort missed a three-pointer that would have given his team a five-point lead. Instead, a 12-5 Timberwolves run sealed the Thunder’s second loss in three games. Dort finished 3-for-10 from deep, including his second 3-pointer as Oklahoma City trailed 105-103.

Dort hit a higher 3-point clip than his season average (29.8%) against the Timberwolves. At the same time a third-year guard Cason Wallace has a strong case to be the Thunder’s starting point guard of the future. Starting 25 of the Thunder’s 27 games this season, Wallace leads the league in steals per game (2.4), while averaging 8.0 points on 42.5% shooting, including 38.5% from behind the three-point arc.

While the production isn’t a huge difference to Dort’s 7.7 points per game on 35.0/29.8/93.8 shooting, there’s a case to be made that Wallace is an upgrade. It’s also worth noting that we’re only 28 games into the regular season, and Dort, who is dealing with a right adductor strain, has only played in 19 of them — yet Lue’s production drops to 6.3 points on 38.1% shooting in December.

Wallace struggled off the bench in the Thunder’s five-point loss to the Timberwolves. In fact, the only two games Wallace didn’t start resulted in losses, including a 111-109 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Cup semifinals. It’s a small sample size, of course, but Cason averaged 4.5 points on 30.0% shooting, including 16.7% from deep.

Respected as one of the founding team members of this current Thunder regime, Dort has earned the benefit of the doubt amid an early-season slump, but for how long? 28 games in 2025-26 is still relatively fast, especially for the 25-win defending champions. Either way, it’s an ideal problem that most NBA teams would love to have.

Cason Wallace is emerging as one of the Thunder’s better defenders

Third-year guard Cason Wallace is now considered one of the defending champs’ better defenders, a title that the Thunder’s Lou Dort undeniably earned years ago. But times are changing in the midst of a definitive championship. Wallace prides himself on the Thunder’s best defenseone of the foundations of which Dort helped to lay in 2019.

The offseason additions of veterans Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso underscored the Thunder’s defensive identity, leading to a championship run in 2024-25. It also helped Wallace blossom into the defender he is today. Caruso instilled in Cason the importance of studying film as a means of gaining a competitive advantage. Coach Mark Daigneault has encouraged Wallace to miss fewer 3-pointers, which has led to an increase in his attempts to 4.0 this season.

Much like Dort, the defensive end of the floor is where Wallace hangs his hat, and that’s where he’s built a formidable reputation for the Thunder, whether in Daigneault’s starting lineup or off the bench.

“A lot of energy. Everybody knows we pride ourselves on defense, and we all compete there,” Wallace said after the 122-101 win against the Clippers. “I’m just playing hard and having fun.”

The Thunder forced the Clippers into a whopping 28 turnovers, the most by any team this season. For the third time this season, Wallace finished with 5 steals. He has recorded an incredible 19 strikeouts in his last five games.

“I feel like we’re taking the life out of the other team and they’re ready to quit,” Wallace added. “So when we get teams to that point, it makes the game more fun.”

While the shortstop Thunder will enter Monday’s matchup against the Grizzlies with an extended injury list, including starting center Isaiah Hartenstein, Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins, Dayno will likely start with Dort and Wallace as he did against the Clippers (sans Hartenstein).

Still, it will be interesting to see if Wallace solidifies the starting role or if Dort remains a mainstay in Daigneault’s OG starting five along with Hartenstein, Shay Gilge-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.