The Oklahoma City Thunder are in the midst of an NBA Play-in race as the Thunder sits with a 31-35 record, just a game out of the NBA Play-in tournament with vital games ahead, including this weekend against the New Orleans Pelicans. The OKC Thunder have 16 games left this season, and that is all the time Lu Dort has to chase down a record that has stood since the 2006-07 season.
Part of the reason for the OKC Thunder’s record resurgence has been their improved defense, which is predicated on the hustle stats of this undersized club, highlighted by Jaylin Williams leading the NCAA in charges drawn a year ago to leading the NBA in charges drawn per game this season as a rookie. The Arkansas product has totaled 25 charges, tied for second most in the NBA behind his teammate Kenrich Williams who has 26.
Oklahoma City Thunder swingman Lu Dort leads the NBA in offensive fouls drawn and has a chance to chase history this season.
While those two rotational players are kings of the charge, when you glance at overall offensive fouls drawn, the Thunder have four players in the top 50, including Lu Dort, who owns the top spot in the NBA with 82 offensive fouls drawn.
Lu Dort is at the top of the NBA in fouls drawn for the season time in his career, and he led the NBA in this category during the 2020-21 season, where he collected 57 in 54 games played.
Lu Dort has drawn 82 offensive fouls this season, the record for offensive fouls drawn in a single season is 99 (Anderson Varejao, 07-08 season) according to basketball reference.
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) March 10, 2023
He needs 17 to tie, 18 to break the record, and the Thunder have 16 games left.
The NBA record in this stat (a stat that has only been a recorded category since the 2005-06 season) is 99, courtesy of Anderson Varejao during the 2006-07 NBA season. A record that has yet to be touched since.
Lu Dort’s 82 offensive fouls drawn this season is the closest anyone has gotten to that high-water mark. It took Varejao 81 games that season to compile 99 offensive fouls. This season, Dort has played in 59 contests; with the Thunder having 16 games left, he needs 17 offense fouls to tie the record and 18 to break the record.
As the Oklahoma City Thunder finish out the rest of this season, there is a chase at history still on the table for their fourth-year forward.