There are no better teachers to learn from than Lu Dort and Alex Caruso. It’s been quite the start for Cason Wallace in his NBA career. He’s only known 60-plus win seasons and an NBA championship. He’s also attended the Harvard version of perimeter defense with those two teammates.

But what makes Wallace special isn’t all technique. He’s also utilized his raw talent to become one of the better perimeter defenders in the league. To that point that he’s admitted he doesn’t do much homework against the opposition’s best scorer and rather relies on instinct alone.

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The Oklahoma City Thunder have captured their first NBA championship. They had one of the greatest seasons ever. But there’s a reason they’re the consensus to repeat and have a long runway to contend for more titles. That’s their youth and room for growth.

Wallace perfectly fits both categories. The 21-year-old has had his fair share of starts. In two seasons, he’s shot 38.9% from 3 and grabbed 1.3 steals. The 3-and-D player has the appetite for more. That’s why he bulked up over his short offseason with the hopes of being a more complete offensive player.

Caruso has been impressed with Wallace. The Thunder had the league’s best defense last season by about every metric. One was perimeter defense. They only gave up a handful of 30-plus point scorers. A three-headed defensive POA monster of Dort, Caruso and Wallace had All-Star players in nightmares.

As the Thunder continue training camp, Caruso remains amazed at Wallace and how he operates off pure instinct alone. That should scare the rest of the league, as he could be due for a breakout season.

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“He’s a unique defender. He has special physical abilities a lot of people in the league don’t have. He blocked more shots in a season that I think I have in my career up to that point,” Caruso said. “There’s no teaching aspect to that. We don’t go over that in practice. That’s just something he’s good at and does on his own.”

If Wallace turns into a Jrue-Holiday-level player, watch out. The Thunder are already stacked as it is. But adding another high-end player makes them incredibly rich. That’s the type of developmental progress that should keep OKC in the title conversations.

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Alex Caruso on what makes Cason Wallace a ‘unique defender’