Cason Wallace became the latest one-and-done NBA draft pick for Kentucky and coach John Calipari on Thursday.

The Dallas Mavericks picked the former Wildcat guard in the first round with the No. 10 overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, held this year at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The Mavs then traded Wallace to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was the fifth guard off the board, following Scoot Henderson (Charlotte Hornets, third overall), Amen Thompson (Houston Rockets, fourth), Ausar Thompson (Detroit Pistons, fifth) and Anthony Black (Orlando Magic, sixth).

The Mavericks sent Wallace, a Dallas native, and forward Davis Bertans to OKC in exchange for former Duke center Dereck Lively II, who the Thunder selected with the 12th overall pick.

Wallace joins an OKC team that already has a former UK guard on its roster in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was drafted after one year in Lexington in 2018 by Charlotte and traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. He joined the Thunder in a trade a year later.

"I'm just grateful that I'm here," Wallace said in an ESPN interview after his selection. "I'm thankful. I thank God that I'm in this position here today."

Keaton Wallace, Cason's older brother who is signed with the Ontario Clippers of the NBA G League, reflected on his younger sibling's journey to Thursday night.

"We had long nights. I'm talking about late — 1, 2 o'clock in the morning," Keaton said. "Neighbors complaining about us dribbling the ball. We (were) just going hard at each other. ... So just to see his progress from elementary to middle school to high school to college and now to the pros, it's great. I'm just proud of him. I can't even stop smiling right now."

Wallace was one of the nation's top defenders and an instant contributor on a veteran Kentucky roster, with the potential to develop into a better scorer and playmaker as a pro with more development.

"There's still more to be done," Wallace said.

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What is the scouting report on Cason Wallace entering the NBA?

Considered one of the top defenders in the 2022 high school class, Wallace lived up to expectations in his lone college season.

As his offensive game continues to develop, he'll lean on his innate defensive instincts early in his pro career.

"He just has one of those special minds that truly just understands how to scramble, how to rotate, how to stay in sync with his teammates, how to communicate with his teammates, how to make sure that they're all aware of where he is and that he's making them aware of where they need to be," Sam Vecenie, who covers the draft for The Athletic, told The Courier Journal last month. "But also how to freelance at times, just make high-level plays in passing lanes or on digs, or a guy will be driving and he'll just, like, rotate from the opposite elbow and try to contest and block a shot from behind. "

He also rarely is caught in an adverse position when defending screens.

"Everything at the NBA level is based around the pick-and-roll," Vecenie said, "and so many teams want to use drop coverage schemes. His ability and willingness to fight over the top of those screens and test them behind and get back into those plays and rush opposing guards, I think is going to be absolutely enormous for him going forward."

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How did Cason Wallace play at Kentucky?

Wallace earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team and won the league's freshman of the week award three times last season. And he wasted no time adapting to the college level, posting a stat line in the opener — 15 points, eight rebounds and nine assists — that had never been accomplished by a Kentucky player in his debut outing. Eight days later, he tied a UK single-game record by notching eight steals in a double-overtime loss to Michigan State. He finished the 2022-23 season averaging 11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and a team-high 2.0 steals per game. Wallace's 63 steals in 2022-23 marked the third most in a single season by a UK freshman, trailing only Rajon Rondo (87) and John Wall (66).

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What kind of prospect was Cason Wallace coming out of high school?

Wallace was a consensus five-star prospect in the 2022 class out of Richardson High School in Texas. The four major recruiting services — Rivals, ESPN, 247Sports and On3 — all had him ranked among the nation's top 25 players in the 2022 cycle. On3 ranked him fourth, just ahead of 247Sports' assessment (fifth). He was eighth in Rivals' rankings and 21st in the ESPN 100. Both Rivals and On3 tabbed him the top player at his position (combo/shooting guard) in 2022.

What is Cason Wallace's height and weight?

At last month's NBA draft combine, Wallace measured 6-foot-2.5 (without shoes) and 195.2 pounds. It's not far off his listed height and weight on Kentucky's official roster: 6-foot-4 and 193 pounds.

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What NBA players has Cason Wallace been compared to?

NBAdraft.net wrote that Wallace was a combination of former Kentucky guard Immanuel Quickley and Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart. Calipari said Wallace reminded him of a pair of ex-Wildcats, Eric Bledsoe and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Athletic compared him to yet another former Kentucky guard (Tyrese Maxey), but wrote "the closer stylistic comparison to Wallace is Jrue Holiday." That's the same player NBAdraftroom.com used as a NBA comp for Wallace. Even Wallace himself said his game most closely resembled Holiday's. "He plays on both ends of the floor, he knows how to create his own, he gets his teammates involved, he knows how to play defense and be active on both ends," Wallace told Kentucky Sports Radio last year.

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @RyanABlack.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: NBA draft 2023: Oklahoma City Thunder get Kentucky guard Cason Wallace