The Oklahoma City Thunder’s highly-efficient, defensive stalwart has served as a catalyst to the team’s success thus far.
Have a spindly 7-footer and former Gonzaga Bulldog in mind? Think again.
Luguentz Dort — the Thunder’s 6-foot-3 shooting guard known for taking on the league’s toughest matchups night in and out — has quietly been one of the team’s most impactful players to start the 2023-24 regular season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and co. have of course done their part too. But Dort’s offense has ballooned with the addition of Holmgren, and its made the team a fearsome two-way threat.
Dort’s always been a streaky shooter — with the highest of highs and some pretty low lows — but this time feels a bit different. The 3-pointers will likely continue to wax and wane. But Dort’s improved decision making, shot selection and at-rim finishing feel like they’ve taken a significant leap.
Through seven games, the former Sun Devil is averaging 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists while shooting 56% overall and 51% from beyond the arc.
And yet, defensive continues to be where Dort earns his keep.
For the umpteenth year in a row, Dort’s defense isn’t likely to earn him accolades like Defensive Player of the Year or even an All-Defense selection. As a shorter guard, it’s simply too hard to put up the gaudy stats or justify impact over traditional paint protectors.
But Dort’s defense is vital to this Thunder team and its identity. Pivotal. Catalistic.
In a league where superstars get theirs every single game, Dort is a limiter. A chest-up here, an offensive foul drawn there; bit by bit Dort is able to whittle down even the league’s best offensive engines. And by the end of games, he’s typically helped Oklahoma City a few possessions at a time, and has put himself in position to make defensive plays in crunch time.
Suffice to say, Dort’s nightmarish on-ball defense and him having made more than half of every shot he’s taken so far have been a good thing for the Thunder.
And for all the talk of how trade-able Dort’s contract will be for OKC if and when the time comes — with Holmgren set to protect the rim for the foreseeable future — Dort feels like a mainstay, and necessity, in the Thunder lineup.
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