OKC Thunder guard Luguentz Dort dazzling defense hits the mark
Every so often a player comes along whose defense is such a joy to watch. Luguentz Dort of the OKC Thunder is one such player.
Every player that has ever stepped into a gym has dreamt about getting up the game winner, being the hero on offense. Then, as you get into the game, you realize that stopping the opposition from scoring is equally important. This is where Luguentz Dort of the OKC Thunder is making his mark on the league.
Dort missed the first nine 3-point attempts of his NBA varsity career. Going 0-9 is not really a recipe for getting huge game time, especially when you have made a name for yourself as a scorer in the G-League. This is not the case for Luguentz Dort.
OKC Thunder coach Billy Donovan has been a big fan of Dort for a while now but it is his defense which has stood out to Donovan, not his offense. As a result, fans of the OKC Thunder are seeing the birth of a career.
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Dort announced himself in the G-League in the very first game of the season with a 35 point outburst. His offensive game has shone at that level, but he is showing that the most transferable skill between the two leagues is in fact defense.
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Anyone who saw the end of the Minnesota Timberwolves game will never forget THAT pass by Steven Adams. But the lead up to that was what allowed the final play to happen. There was the Chris Paul heads up delay of game and the missed Minnesota free throws.
However, the previous play, Dort pressured the ball handler on the final in-bounds. and then dove on the loose ball and made the heads up play to call time out. Dort has since played great defense on some of the top players on the league. Some of the scalps Dort can claim are Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell and Terry Rozier.
However, his work on Kyle Lowry at the end of the Toronto Raptors game was worthy of an All-Defensive player, not a rookie in his seventh game. He was with Lowry step for step. Lowry struggled to score and the OKC Thunder won the game by a single point.
Next. Luguentz Dort making case for G-League Rookie of the Year. dark
Coach Donovan is showing tremendous faith in the rookie, putting him into situations that require defensive acumen. He seems to be testing Dort and so far the rookie has passed with flying colors.