OKC Thunder Must Replace Talented Rebounder on the Perimeter

May 30, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) reacts in the second quarter against the San Antonio Spurs during game seven of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

OKC Thunder Must Replace Talented Rebounder on the Perimeter

Originally posted on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI
By Randall Sweet | Last updated Sep 21, 2026 1:27 PM ET

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The Oklahoma City Thunder made significant roster changes following the 2025-26 NBA season.

Heading into the 2026-27 campaign, which begins with the preseason in early October, the Thunder's roster will look much different than it has in recent years. Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe, who acumulated more than 1,000 combined appearances for Oklahoma City.

While all three players filled a role for Mark Daigneault's team, losing Lu Dort will likely be the most significant blow. Despite a down year in 2025-26, Dort was still a regular starter in OKC for the past six years.

In 2024-25, Dort earned First Team All-Defense honors, and averaged more than 10 points per game while shooting 41.2% from 3-point range.

Dort even knocked down a few important triples during the Thunder's 2025 postseason run.

Aside from his big-game shooting or his vaunted perimeter defense, though, Dort also offered another solid rebounder in OKC's starting lineup. After averaging 2.3 rebounds per game as a rookie in 2019-20, Dort has notched more than 3.5 rebounds per game each of the past six seasons.

According to data from Todd Whitehead of Sportradar, Dort was among the NBA's top rebounding guards when crashing the glass across the past six seasons.

Crash win rates.
When he crashed, how often did he grab the offensive rebound? pic.twitter.com/XINVJdPO2T
— Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) September 21, 2026

According to Whitehead's data, Dort ranks fourth in offensive rebound rate when crashing the glass over the past six seasons, grabbing a rebound 12% of the time in those situtations. Josh Hart claimed the top spot in the guard category at 14%, while Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels rounded out the top three at 13% each.

Russell Westbrook and Jrue Holiday rounded out the final two spots in the guard category at 10% each. Scottie Barnes ranked No. 1 for wing players at 17%, while Andre Drummond was atop the big man category at 25%.

Replacing Dort's defensive contribution is no easy task, but for Oklahoma City, finding another talented perimeter defender will be easier than replacing Dort's rebounding ability. Cason Wallace, another All-Defense honoree, could take Dort's place in the starting lineup, but wouldn't offer the same rebounding prowess.

The Thunder have already struggled rebounding against bigger teams, especially when Isaiah Hartenstein is off the floor, and benefitted from a talented have a talented positional rebounder.

There are a few players on OKC's current roster who are also solid rebounders for their position, like Brooks Barnhizer, but the second-round pick has a few other holes in his game that will likely prevent him from earning regular minutes.

This article first appeared on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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