Amid multiple injuries to key players, the Thunder have stayed strong as the top seed in the Western Conference.
As Thunder General Manager Sam Presti noted, sixth-year guard Luguentz Dort has been a key contributor to their success.
“Lu is the heartbeat of a team in many ways because of his approach, consistency, physicality, and determination. He’s about the team,” Presti said. This forever will ring true.
The Dorture Chamber
The Thunder are +132 with Dort on the floor this season, and his impact is beyond the stat sheet. Dort consistently guards the toughest perimeter matchup on the floor with success.
Dort is one of two players in the league (Dejounte Murray) with a 100-matchup difficulty rating. CraftedNBA also has him as the ninth most versatile shooting guard, behind teammates Jalen Williams and Aaron Wiggins.
He has been known for his point-of-attack defense since arriving from Arizona State, but he has also improved off the ball. In this play against the Clippers, Dort can recognize the pick and roll from Terance Mann and blow the play up with a strip and steal.
Dort’s knack for drawing offensive fouls isn’t dwindling either. He’s drawn 15 in 20 games this year after drawing 93 and 56 in the previous two. He finds ways to draw illegal screens in the most unexpected ways.
Despite all of his defensive success, Dort has no All-Defensive selections. With his off-ball improvements, this may be the year he gets the nod.
From Wide Open to Knockdown
As a rookie, teams just left Dort open at the three-point line; now you must put a hand in his face. Dort is shooting a career-best 41% from three on 5.2 attempts per game. It’s almost two points higher than a season ago.
In truth, he is one of the few Thunder players who has improved from beyond the arc this year. The currently injured Chet Holmgren is the only other.
https://twitter.com/ThunderFocus/status/1862985106211901631
From three, Dort is currently above league average in all hot zones except for the left corner, clearly an immense improvement from his entrance into the league. Moreover, he shot 29.7% from three in his first year.
Furthermore, his improved shooting has critically assisted the flow and spacing of the Thunder offense. In this clip, Dort drains a catch-and-shoot three from the right corner over Klay Thompson‘s outstretched arm.
He can even knock down tough shots off the dribble when needed. This stepback in the same game against Dallas with the shot clock ticking down is an example.
Dort’s improved shooting, in addition to his defensive ability, is key to the Thunder’s success.
Play Smarter, Work Harder
One of Dort’s biggest struggles in his first few seasons in the league was his decision-making off drives. There were plenty of times he’d go up with a head-scratching layup attempt instead of finding an open man.
He has polished that part of his game in the past two seasons. This is further shown in his performance against the Rockets on Dec. 1, when he had a career-high-tying six assists.
He now consistently makes the correct decision on any drive he takes, so those daredevil wild drives are a thing of the past.
He has consistently been a great driver when getting to the rim, but he rarely had any success at the end of one. With improved processing, you see immediate differences.
His drive and dish to Williams last night further show his improvement. In an instance where he would more than likely shoot a contested layup four years ago, he patiently finds the cutter for an easier layup.
His improvements are also shown in his rim percentages, and his 59.4% at the rim this year is the highest mark of his career. Taking easier looks at the rim pays dividends.
Dort has gone from an offensive liability to a key piece to a championship contender in his six-year career.
Leave a comment