Amid the public concerns over his seemingly regressed long-range shooting efficiency and questions about his future with the team beyond 2025-26, Lu Dort has recently taken it upon himself to remind everyone of his worth to this OKC Thunder squad.
The results have been truly astonishing.
Since returning from a foot injury that sidelined him for their revenge matchup against the San Antonio Spurs last week, Dort has been playing at an insane rate on both ends of the floor.
In 27.3 minutes a night, the veteran has found himself dropping solid averages of 11.5 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting a ridiculously efficient 55.0 percent from beyond the arc.
On the less glamorous side of the ball, he's been showcasing the talents that made him a First-Team All-Defense selection just a season ago, boasting a ridiculous rating of 101.7 while holding his opponents to just 34.1 percent shooting from the floor and 34.5 percent shooting from deep.
Surging Lu Dort actively reminding Thunder of his worth
Oklahoma City's last two outings saw them squaring off against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks, where Dort took on the tough task of serving as the primary defender on both Donovan Mitchell and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The 26-year-old managed to hold the two superstars to a combined 38 points on 44.8 percent shooting while the Thunder found themselves coasting to two consecutive wins with an average point differential of plus-26.0.
Dort's play has been so impressive as of late that Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson couldn't help but shout him out during his own post-game media session following Cleveland's 136-104 blowout loss on Monday, noting that he's "one of the best defenders in the league" and that his efforts were directly responsible for Mitchell's uncharacteristically poor showing.
To Thunder teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort is someone who innately takes his defense seriously and matchups "personal."
With this, it should come as no surprise that he's now seemingly shifting his physicality and overall ferocity on this end into another gear, driven by the added motivation created from all the questions about his long-term tenure with the team.
While some may be actively campaigning for his club option for next year to be declined in an effort to help Oklahoma City duck under the dreaded second-apron, over these last few games and, frankly, since the calendar page flipped to January (9.8 points and 1.2 steals on 40.8 percent shooting from deep), Dort has made it harder and harder for Sam Presti to legitimately entertain such a move.
His performance against Giannis and the Bucks (13 points and two steals on 42.9 percent shooting from beyond the arc) on Wednesday night was merely just the most recent example of why.