Tyrone Wallace may be able to parlay a ‘5×5’ into a shot in the NBA

Tyrone Wallace made G League history on Monday night. In the 13-plus seasons since the G League was established as the D-League in 2004, no player has ever put up a 5×5 — at least five points, assists, rebounds, steals and blocks. Wallace did just that against the Reno Bighorns, posting an absurd 26-13-8-5-5 line that will certainly elevate his status among NBA front offices looking to fill out their end of their first team roster with another point guard.

Wallace is in his second year out of Cal, where he played all four years before being selected with the final pick of the 2016 NBA Draft. He’s played the last two years in the G League, with the Salt Lake City Stars in 2016-17 and the Agua Caliente Clippers this season. Playing with the Clippers has unlocked the potential in his game, as he’s upped his usage and efficiency across the board this season. His 30.2 percent usage rate ranks sixth in the G League and second among qualified point guards, but he’s still posting a 56.8 percent true shooting percentage. His relatively efficient scoring comes despite the fact he can’t hit water from a boat from beyond the 3-point line. (He’s made just 20.0 percent of his 3s, down from 24.2 percent last year).

Wallace can get to the basket at will and finish once he does, which keeps his head above water from an efficiency perspective. He’s improved as a passer since leaving college — reports coming out of Cal were down on his ability to be a creator for others. Two years into his professional career, and the passing has come around. He currently averages 8.2 assists per 48 minutes, which is slightly above average for qualified point guards in the G League this season.

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Passing will never be a cornerstone skill upon which the rest of his game builds, but it’s something he’ll have to be able to do at a decent level to profile as a point guard in the NBA, at the very least. In pick-and-roll, he’s better at finding a spot-up shooter than the roll man, but that may say more about the Clippers offense and his individual ability to collapse the defense into the paint on his drives than it does about his passing acumen.

Physically, Wallace profiles as a bit of a matchup nightmare for second units. Standing 6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, he’s capable of blitzing past 2 guards off the dribble and in pick-and-roll and taking advantage of opposing point guards in the post, as he’s done quite a bit for the Clippers this season — Agua Caliente has scored a superb 1.3 points per possession on Wallace post-ups (including passes), ranking him in the 97th percentile among all G League players. He’s left-handed but has shown equal capability around the basket with his opposite hand, both in the post and on drives.

Defensively, Wallace uses that height and wingspan well to make life difficult for his opponent. He should be able to defend both guard positions at the NBA level. He moves well enough on the perimeter, though certainly the increased athleticism in the NBA might leave him at a quickness disadvantage. His length helps him get into passing lanes and block shots, as evidenced by his five steals and five blocks against Reno on Monday. He’s well above average in steal rate and leads all G League point guards in block rate. That 5×5 performance wasn’t a fluke.

There are very few players at any level of basketball who can put together Wallace’s high usage on the offensive end with his activity and willingness to stick with plays on defense. With his size and ability on both ends, he certainly has the ceiling of a solid backup combo guard in the NBA. His shooting is so poor it seems impossible he’d be able to be much more than that, but it would be a massive accomplishment for him to stick in the NBA given he’s spent the last two seasons in the G League.

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There are a handful of NBA teams with an open roster spot, including Agua Caliente’s parent club in Los Angeles. Wallace was with the Clippers in training camp but was waived in their final cuts before the season. While technically a free agent able to sign with any NBA club, there may be a good fit there in Los Angeles. His performance against Reno and the numbers he’s put up this season will have gotten the attention of general managers in front offices across the league regardless, and his unique skill set might intrigue one of them enough to give him a shot.