With the regular season winding down and now officially being within its last two weeks of action, awards season buzz is starting to ramp up. Excitingly enough, OKC Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander seems to have officially positioned himself as the frontrunner to take home the game's most prestigious individual honor, as he ranked number one on NBA.com's final MVP ladder.
However, considering their overall dominance as a team throughout the year, it should come as no surprise that the 26-year-old isn't the only member of this Oklahoma City squad receiving recognition before ballot booths can officially be opened.
Throughout his six-year tenure with the ball club, Luguentz Dort has built up the reputation of being arguably the best defensive player, not just on his team but in the entire league.
From his Lake Buena Vista breakout back during his rookie season to his sensational play in last year's two-round playoff run, the two-guard has established himself as an absolute force on the less glamorous side of the ball.
Now, through 67 games of action, 2024-25 may be shaping up to be his best season yet as far as his efforts on the defensive end are concerned, and many important people are finally starting to take notice.
Several media members thinking of voting Thunder guard as DPOY
Along with his teammates, such as Alex Caruso (an established All-Defensive talent himself) referring to him as "the head of the snake on that end of the floor," several individuals outside of the Thunder organization have recently been found singing the praises of Dort for what he provides on the defensive end.
Lu Dort is WORKING on the defensive end 💪
— NBA (@NBA) November 2, 2024
He's up to 4 steals on NBA League Pass!
📲 https://t.co/vWeeQaCxkO pic.twitter.com/sy7rQeJwAJ
On April 1, The Ringer's Bill Simmons made the bold claim that the 25-year-old "is the best defensive player I've watched this season," while ESPN's Brian Windhorst flat-out said on a recent episode of The Hoop Collective Podcast that he's "considering voting Lu Dort for Defensive Player of the Year."
What's worth mentioning is that both Simmons and Windhorst will be participating in the end-of-year voting process and, based on their comments, will have the Thunder guard in mind when casting their ballots for DPOY.
In all likelihood, they won't be alone on this front, and it's easy to see why.
Despite measuring in at just 6-foot-4, Lu Dort has proven capable of guarding any player from one to four and has regularly found himself squaring off against an opposing team's top backcourt talent throughout this year's campaign.
On top of the fact that he's largely considered the top defender on the league's top defensive team (106.0 defensive rating), he finds himself ranked favorably in the NBA in a bevy of key statistical categories, including defensive win shares (0.137) and opponent field goal percentage (44.3).
As for the aforementioned narrative that Dort tends to guard and lock up an opponent's best perimeter scoring weapon, look no further than Desmond Bane's 3 points on 8.3 percent shooting performance during OKC's March 27 matchup against the Grizzlies or C's star Jaylen Brown's 10 points on 33.3 percent shooting showing during their March 12 face-off as two recent examples.
Now, granted, as things currently stand, the odds of Dort becoming just the second guard since 1996 to take home Defensive Player of the Year honors seem rather low, as he ranks third in recent polls behind Warriors big Draymond Green and Cavaliers star Evan Mobely, respectively, at +1,400.
However, with roughly two weeks remaining on the regular season docket and, in turn, separating now and the beginning of the voting process, there's still time for the veteran to strengthen his case for the prestigious moniker.
Already, guys like Bill Simmons and Brian Windhorst are strongly considering Lu Dort for DPOY. Don't be surprised if this momentum draws in other voters as well.