Through 18 games played, including two starts and 273 minutes of basketball, Keaton Wallace has attempted just four shots at the rim.
No matter how you slice it, this is flat-out inexcusable. Wallace has never been an elite shooter, but he is cashing in at 42.2% from three while averaging 2.5 a game. His newfound shooting is still a work in progress, evidenced by his hesitation letting a shot fly. Regardless, his improvement from deep is meaningless if he cannot create easy looks inside the arc.
It would be less than ideal if Wallace were missing his rim attempts. But he isn’t just missing; he is not even getting a shot off. His lack of rim pressure represents a hurdle Wallace must clear in his quest to carve out a safe spot on an NBA team.
Wallace must improve as an offensive player to make sense on this team
Keaton is a stout defender who can make an impact on this end, but he is a 6’2 point guard. At the end of the day, his defensive impact is limited by virtue of his lack of length. His younger brother, Cason Wallace, who won a championship with the Thunder last season, has laid the blueprint for how to build a successful career with the skillset common to both Wallace brothers.
Cason is a career 38.7% shooter from deep and 56.2% shooter from two, which combine for an effective field goal percentage of 57.1%, nearly 3% above league average. This level of offensive output was just what he needed to be playable on offense. Combined with his otherworldly defense, Wallace became a key part of OKC’s 2025 Finals run.
Importantly, Cason has shot a quarter (24.7%) of his shot attempts at the rim, where he is a below-average finisher (although these are still good looks given the difference between rim FG% and average EFG%). While Cason is the more proven three point shooter, he also can make it easier on offense with a layup. This makes him a clear positive on offense, and when paired with his elite defense, he becomes an elite winning player.
On the contrary, Keaton has shot just 2.8% (not a typo) of his shot attempts at the rack this season. While Keaton has been a solid three point shooter this season on legitimate volume, he is still nearly unplayable due to his inability to be a versatile threat.
If Wallace cannot figure out a way to make things easier for himself on offense, he won’t be a Hawk past this season.