Lu Dort’s Role Doesn’t Need Much Modification This Offseason

Oklahoma City’s team success has been largely due to players starring in their role. This past season, every player in the rotation had a well-defined role and was completely bought into that specific role. There were never any egos or complaints — just great basketball players looking to contribute to a piece of history. That’s what makes this team — and organization — so special.

This development has been a long time in the making, too. The players that have been in Oklahoma City since the beginning of the rebuild have gone through an array of different roles over the last few years. But in a year where it mattered most, everyone settled into what feels like permanent roles moving forward. The main case study in this example has to be Lu Dort, who has gone from an erratic offensive player to one of the Thunder’s most consistent guys night in and night out.

To this point, it feels like Dort has had something to improve on and master in the offseason. His role has had to change a lot, and plenty of his summer schedule was figuring out how to adapt to that and understanding the players that the Thunder needed him to be. This summer, though, his role — and overall game — needs no real modification at all. He has found his permanent role, and Oklahoma City just needs him to stay consistent.

Dort has paired his all-world defense with an extremely effective offensive game. It has allowed the Thunder to ascend, and in the process, Dort has turned into one of the most valuable and useful players in the NBA. Every championship team wants and needs a player like Dort.

This season, he averaged 10.1 points and 4.1 rebounds on 43.5% from the floor and 41.2% from 3-point range. For the second season in a row, Dort hovered around marks that seemed impossible when he first came into the league. It's clear that he has found his sweet spot in Oklahoma City and fits in perfectly with the supporting cast.

This summer, he doesn't need to add much new to his game, he has all the tools to make this a permanent role. The Thunder will need the same level of production moving forward, and Dort is continuing to prove that this is no fluke, it's just who he is now.