Thunder Eye Growth From Cason Wallace as Niang Returns to Utah and New Wolves Owners Tackle Business Side
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August 20, 2025 — Clubs across the Northwest Division are mapping out the season ahead, with Oklahoma City betting on internal improvement, Utah welcoming back a familiar shooter and Minnesota’s new owners turning to front-office matters.
Thunder banking on Wallace’s third-year jump
With virtually the same roster that captured last season’s title, the Oklahoma City Thunder expect 21-year-old guard Cason Wallace to deliver a more efficient scoring punch in Year 3, according to Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated.
Wallace’s elite defense kept him firmly in the rotation, but his shooting slipped from 49.1% overall and 41.9% from deep as a rookie to 47.4% and 35.6%, respectively, last season. The most noticeable dip came from the corners, where his three-point accuracy fell roughly 10 percentage points.
Despite the drop-off, the guard remained productive in other areas, ranking in the 81st percentile as a cutter (1.463 points per possession) and adding 1.222 points per possession as a pick-and-roll option in guard-to-guard sets. Stiles projects a bounce-back campaign for the Kentucky product.
In a separate piece, Stiles highlighted the five-man unit of Wallace, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren as Oklahoma City’s most balanced lineup. He also expects 2024 first-rounder Nikola Topic, who missed last season while rehabbing a torn ACL, to thrive as a pass-first point guard when paired with shooters.
Niang’s homecoming to Salt Lake City
Georges Niang is back with the Utah Jazz after Boston sent him west in a summer trade, ending a four-year absence. Trent Wood of The Deseret News notes that Niang enjoyed the best scoring stretch of his career after Atlanta acquired him from Cleveland at last season’s trade deadline, reuniting him with former Jazz coach Quin Snyder.
Over 28 games with the Hawks, the stretch forward averaged 12.1 points while shooting 44.1% from the field and 41.3% on three-pointers. Utah anticipates that Niang will supply steady perimeter shooting and mentor young wings Taylor Hendricks, Cody Williams and Ace Bailey.
Wolves ownership shifts focus to business operations
Now that Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez hold full control of the NBA’s Timberwolves and the WNBA’s Lynx, the duo is concentrating on the organizations’ business structure, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reported on X.
Source: Hoops Rumors
