Cason Wallace will get the start over Isaiah Hartenstein for the Thunder against the Pacers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Wallace is making his first career playoff start. The 21-year-old guard is averaging 5.4 points, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game this postseason.
Wallace will play a key role in helping defend Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton. Other guards such as Lu Dort and Alex Caruso will surely help with that as well.
The decision to start Wallace will also result in Chet Holmgren being moved to center. The 7-foot-1 big man is more than capable of holding his own defensively at the five, and he can also provide some floor spacing on offense.
Wallace and Holmgren will be joined in the starting lineup by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort and Jalen Williams.
Justin Martinez covers sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @JTheSportsDude. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.