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OKC Thunder: Lu Dort is emerging as a true two-way player

By James Mueller

PORTLAND, OREGON - JANUARY 25: Luguentz Dort #5 of the Oklahoma City Thunder takes a shot against Harry Giles III #4 of the Portland Trail Blazers in the first quarter at Moda Center on January 25, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OREGON - JANUARY 25: Luguentz Dort #5 of the Oklahoma City Thunder takes a shot against Harry Giles III #4 of the Portland Trail Blazers in the first quarter at Moda Center on January 25, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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Signing undrafted free agent Lu Dort to a two-way deal in 2019 turned out to be one of the best decisions Sam Presti made when the OKC Thunder went all-in on rebuild mode, although Presti and Thunder fans did not what a steal Dort would be at the time.

In his rookie season, Dort quickly proved to be an elite defender with the rare combination of strength, size, and speed to be able to defend anyone in one-on-one situations.

As a result, Dort earned himself a spot in the Thunder’s starting lineup midway through the 2019-20 season and played a key part in OKC, who was given a 0.2 percent chance by ESPN to make the playoffs at the beginning of the season, pushing the Houston Rockets to the brink of elimination in the first round of the playoffs.

Signing undrafted free agent Lu Dort turned out to be one of the best decisions Sam Presti made when the OKC Thunder went all-in on rebuild mode

Dort’s performance in the playoffs caught the attention of NBA fans nationally and showed that he could play a huge part, unforeseen by many, in accelerating the Thunder’s rebuild.

But heading into the 2020-21 season one major question loomed over Dort and would be a key determining for his future with OKC: Can Lu Dort develop an offensive game, especially shooting from deep?

While Dort was a staple for the Thunder defense in his rookie season, he was often a liability on the offensive end of the floor due to his poor shooting. As a result, many teams often left Dort unguarded, leaving OKC playing 4-on-5 on offense.

This was most prevalent in the Thunder’s playoff series against the Rockets, as Houston never bothered to guard Dort on the perimeter. And for the most part, it worked.

With the exception of game seven in which Dort poured in 30 points highlighted by six 3-pointers to become the youngest player in NBA history to score 30+ points in a game seven, Dort shot 7-38 from deep which allowed the Rockets to put an extra defender onto some of the Thunder’s bigger scoring threats.

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Over the offseason, Dort took this challenge to improve his offensive game personally, putting in countless hours in the gym to improve his shooting and show that he is more than a guy that can just play defense.

And it has shown in year two.

Dort has doubled his scoring from 6.8 points per game in his rookie campaign to 13.9 points this season. More importantly, Dort’s 3-point shooting has improved drastically, as the 22-year-old Canadian is currently shooting 35.1 percent from beyond the arc after shooting a mere 29.7 percent from deep as a rookie.

On top of that, Dort has been on a tear offensively in OKC’s most recent stretch of games, leading a Thunder offense that has been without its leading scorer in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander since late March due to a foot injury.

Over the Thunder’s past three games, the 6’3″ small forward has poured on 42, 26, and 29 respectively. Dort’s hot hand from deep has been the key reason for his three straight high-scoring performances, hitting a barrage of 3-pointers, 15 in total over the three-game stretch.

The biggest highlight came in OKC’s most recent game against the Toronto Raptors, in which Dort scored 21 first-quarter points on a perfect 7-7 shooting (5-5 from 3-point range). Dort joined the elite company of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Chris Paul, Dennis Schröder, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to become only the seventh player in franchise history to score 20 or more points in a single quarter.

Long gone are the days of Lu Dort being only thought of as a guy who can play defense.

While Dort’s defense is still at a high level and should only continue to get better in the years to come, Dort is emerging as a true two-way player who wreaks havoc on defense and is a legitimate scoring threat offensively.

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