The Oklahoma City Thunder held their rookie introductory press conference on Saturday as rookies Cason Wallace and Keyontae Johnson spoke to local media for the first time since being drafted.
The Thunder came away with the 2023 NBA draft with the pair of rookies at the No. 10 and No. 50 spots of the draft. The Thunder completed a draft-night trade with the Dallas Mavericks to move up two spots to select Wallace.
Thunder general manager Sam Presti also spoke in the press conference.
Afterward, scrums were held with the media by Presti, Wallace, Johnson and Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault — who was in attendance alongside owner Clay Bennett.
Let’s look at the biggest takeaways and quotes from the presser and the post-presser scrums.
Here for the rookie introductory press conference for Cason Wallace & Keyontae Johnson
Scheduled to start at 2 pm CT pic.twitter.com/jEOHpiUYma
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
Sam Presti said Cason Wallace is a quintessential two-way player and plays no-agenda basketball, which is what attracted them to him
"This guy got drafted in the top 10 by just being an incredible team player."
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
Sam Presti on the Cason Wallace trade: "This was an opportunity for us that made sense for both teams."
Said they talked to the Mavericks for about a week before the trade was agreed upon
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
Cason Wallace on what it meant for him that the Thunder traded up to acquire him:
"It meant a lot to me… I thanked them that I'm a part of this great organization, wonderful city and great fanbase."
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
Keyontae Johnson said he spoke to Tre Mann after being drafted, who he played with at Florida
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
Keyontae Johnson on being drafted by the Thunder after growing up a fan of them: "It was a dream come true. It was surreal… Growing up, I used to play with them on 2K."
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
Sam Presti said he was at the Gonzaga vs. Kansas State tournament game that featured Cason Wallace & Keyontae Johnson
"It was just a great game from the tip… We followed all these guys for so long that it wasn't a tipping point opportunity."
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
Sam Presti said it's their 'hope' that Chet Holmgren will play in Summer League
Also notes that he's doing great
"He's done a great job. He's followed the plan… I don't think anybody could be more excited than he is."
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
The Thunder’s newest players: pic.twitter.com/kQo6GDGaof
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
Sam Presti on Vasilije Micic: pic.twitter.com/sJ3KSKkNYY
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
Sam Presti said Keyontae Johnson will be a two-way player
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
Cason Wallace said he’s studied Lu Dort’s tape: “He’s strong, solid… That’s somebody I’m ready to step on the court with. I feel like I can learn a lot from him.”
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
Cason Wallace said he was excited about there being Whataburgers here
When asked his go-to order, he went with the bacon cheeseburger combo with a Powerade
Also said Whataburger > In-N-Out and that he’s a fan of Braums
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
Mark Daigneault said SL HC duties will be split between Kam Woods & David Akinyooye
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
Cason Wallace still needs some time to figure out the Jalen Williams & Jaylin Williams name conundrum: pic.twitter.com/52Z3NqMPt6
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
Mark Daigneault compared Cason Wallace to Ed Reed:
“When he smells the ball, he’s like a hawk on the ball.” pic.twitter.com/RiRqnG2lj5
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
Mark Daigneault on fit vs. BPA drafting philosophy:
"I think the fit thing is more organizational fit and – right now – locker room fit. As I mentioned, I think our team is starting to take some form and the guys are starting to speak the same language."
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
Mark Daigneault said he didn't run the workouts for either Cason Wallace or Keyontae Johnson in the pre-draft process
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
Mark Daigneault on what Cason Wallace brings:
"He's cut from the same cloth as our players as a young professional… I think that'll blend in our locker roo, really well… He's a two-end player… He's got upside as a creator."
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
Mark Daigneault on Cason Wallace's size:
"He plays bigger than he is. He's got functional strength (&) length. How tall their head is only tells a part of their story as a basketball player… He plays bigger than his height."
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
Sam Presti said Rob Hennigan will be the only VP of basketball ops for right now following Will Dawkins' departure:
"We got a great group of people."
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
Sam Presti on if learning from SGA & Lu Dort played a role in drafting Cason Wallace: pic.twitter.com/PpEqdXLFVy
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
Keyontae Johnson said he wasn't nervous about his heart condition potentially being a red flag throughout the draft process: "I already knew teams had questions about it… I just needed one team to believe in me."
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
Keyontae Johnson on describing his game: "I feel like I bring a physicality to the team. Just being able to rebound at a high rate and guard multiple positions."
Mentioned his AST : TO ratio is something he hopes to improve in his rookie season
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
Keyontae Johnson said he thinks his March Madness performance helped raise his draft stock, noting how playing well against the best teams brings a lot of attention
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
Keyontae Johnson said his favorite players growing up were Kawhi Leonard, DeMar DeRozan and PJ Tucker
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
Keyontae Johnson said he chose #18 for his jersey number because #11 was already taken by Isaiah Joe
Also mentioned he thought about #22 since that's his dad's high school number, but that's taken by Cason Wallace
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 24, 2023
OK, one more try. He actually said KAY-sahn, with emphasis on kay, is his preference and what his mom calls him.
He also said Cason (pronounced like Jason or Mason) is acceptable.
This is way more confusing than Jalen/Jaylin Williams. https://t.co/rwwwx7EEKz
— Joe Mussatto (@joe_mussatto) June 24, 2023
Cason Wallace mentioned that he looked up to his cousin Terrell Harris (former OSU player and NBA player) when he was growing up
— Andrew Schlecht (@AndrewKSchlecht) June 24, 2023
I asked Cason Wallace about his fashion and joining this Thunder team “they be dressing for sure” he added the fashion is another off court challenge pic.twitter.com/jEpbQA1tSb
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) June 24, 2023
Cason Wallace on if he prefers to have the ball or play off ball: pic.twitter.com/DzGqWSCf0e
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) June 24, 2023
Cason Wallace said he likes being in OKC a lot because it’s close to home but not too close, not too far.
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) June 24, 2023
