Whether you are a billionaire or a Reddit madman looking for companies to invest in, there’s a stock that’s looking greener by the day.
It is common NBA knowledge at this point that Luguentz Dort is already one of the best defenders in the league. The Oklahoma City Thunder shooting guard made a lot of noise around the league during his rookie season, specially in the NBA bubble, when he played James Harden in the first round of the playoffs. Dort had a phenomenal Game 7 in that series, too, dropping a career-high 30 points and six threes.
Despite his amazing defense, Dort had his flaws, including shooting and finishing at the rim. In his first campaign, he shot 29.7% from deep, in addition to the 26% on 8.3 attempts in the Bubble.
So far in his sophomore year, however, Dort has improved immensely on offense, shooting with efficiency and finishing with a wide range of moves around the basket.
The 21-year-old is ready to show the NBA world that he’s no longer just a Harden stopper. He can be way more complete than that.
A THREE-POINT THREAT
The former Arizona State Sun Devil came into the league with a broken jumpshot. He earned his spot and his NBA contract (he wasn’t drafted; signed a two-way deal instead) due to his defense.
But his form has looked smoother and better. And this year’s numbers (37.6% on 5.7 attempts) can back that– even with the occasional off night.
He has exceeded expectations around the league. No one expected to see Dort shoot like that. That Game 7 against the Rockets may have been a spoiler alert, and we’re realizing that just now. He started the season on fire, shooting 43.7% on 5.5 3PA through his first twelve games. He has cooled off since, but opponents are not letting him shoot anymore.
https://twitter.com/thunderfilmroom/status/1352833802075336705?s=21
The Thunder have been seeking a two-guard that can shoot for many years. Victor Oladipo (36%), Andre Roberson (25.5%), Alex Abrines (36.8%) and Terrance Ferguson (33.7%) all struggled from deep during their OKC tenures. Is Lu the player that will finish Oklahoma City’s long-time search?
As mentioned above, Dort dropped his three-point percentage a little bit, as expected — you don’t usually see a 15% increase from the season prior — but the improvements are there. There will be games like last Friday against the Nets, where he struggled big time from deep (1-9), but the confidence is there and he can bounce back from those games.
Another small-but-important upgrade is his shot creation. He’s added the hesitation move to his game, and with his improved shot, he has more options offensively.
https://twitter.com/thunderlead/status/1354626302570090504?s=21
Whether he can keep this good shooting up or not, defenses have learned a lesson: don’t let Dort take an open three anymore.
A WHOLE NEW PACKAGE
Although his three-point shot looks silky smooth, Dort’s shooting may not be the most impressive upgrade of his game. We have seen many games in his rookie season where he couldn’t hit a layup. Furthermore, he couldn’t even control his body against bigs. He already had the quick first step and the burst even from his Arizona State days, but his finishing looked very, very raw.
This season has been a 180-degree turn for Dort’s finishing. He went from crashing his opponents and losing the ball mid-air to scoring these Kyrie Irving-esque finishes.
Built like an NFL linebacker, when Dort goes up is very hard for the bigs to out-muscle him. Rookie Dort’s gameplan around the rim for the bigs would be to stay vertical and be physical. However, for Sophomore Dort, the interior defense has to change. He has added a soft touch around the basket, and learned how to “pump the brakes” and take a little bit more time to finish instead of just crashing his way to the paint. He’s even finishing with his off-hand as well.
https://twitter.com/thunderlead/status/1344102755212922881?s=21
His offensive repertoire seems to be expanding every single game. Step-throughs, reverse layups, lefty finishes. The only thing he may lack on this regard is a floater game. He took one against the Clippers and made it, although it looked sort of awkward.
https://twitter.com/thunderfilmroom/status/1352837620628336640?s=21
His layup package, improved shooting and, of course, his defense, form one of the best 3&D projects in the whole league. If he can continue adding shot-creating moves to his bag, the ceiling could be even higher.
Lu Dort isn’t just a good defender anymore. He’s added so many offensive tools to his game in just one offseason (two if you count the hiatus), and opponents are giving him his due respect. The Thunder, who already have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as their franchise player, have found another gem– and he’s just getting started.
Invest in $DORT as soon as you can. The numbers are on the rise.
Follow us on Twitter @ThunderLead for the latest Thunder news and insight.
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