Lu Dort has Perfected His Role for OKC Thunder
The Thunder's defensive anchor has become exactly what the team needs.
Lu Dort has come in many forms throughout his career, but this might be his best.
In his fifth season, Dort is not averaging career-highs in points, rebounds or assists. In fact, he is having his worst season since he was a rookie by only looking at his counting stats.
However, Dort has become the perfect starter for the Thunder as the team prepares for its first playoff run. Although it is easy to see the improvements he has made offensively, any discussion with Dort has to begin on the other end.
Despite his name floating in trade rumors every offseason, Thunder GM Sam Presti has kept Dort around every time. One of the reasons Dort joins Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the only players remaining from the Thunder’s bubble team is his ability to guard the best opposing player.
As Oklahoma City’s premier perimeter defender, he often gets the assignment of players such as Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards or Jamal Murray. He has refined his defensive game to be one of the league’s best, but his ability has been no secret since he locked down James Harden in the playoffs as a rookie. But his offense has made great strides in that time.
What has turned him into a perfect player for the Thunder is his efficiency. After averaging 17.2 points only two seasons ago, Dort is down to 10.7 this season, but he is shooting career-highs from everywhere on the floor.
At 39.9% from 3-point range, Dort’s move to playing off-ball more this season has been great for his shot selection. Recently, Dort admitted he used to take wild shots. But with fewer possessions where he has to shoot off the dribble or create for himself, Dort can simply wait for the defense to collapse onto one of his teammates and take open jumpers.
This season, Dort has been assisted on 83.3% of his makes compared to only 66.1% last season. That also includes 99.3% of his 3-pointers coming off assists.
By involving himself less on offense, Dort’s efficiency has increased and allowed him to focus more on his tough matchups defensively. Although there is no guarantee those numbers will carry over to the playoffs, Dort has put himself and the Thunder in a perfect position.
Want to join the discussion? Like Inside the Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
