3 Thunder who could fall out of starting rotation in 2024-25

Lu Dort

For those who weren’t already aware, Lu Dort has manned the starting two-guard position out in OKC for quite some time now and has become a staple contributor and true fan favorite among the Thunder’s faithful followers since his Lake Buena Vista bubble breakout back in 2020.

This past year proved to be the 25-year-old most impactful yet in blue, orange, and yellow threads, as he would go on to post 10.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists on 39.4 percent shooting from deep in 79 games played and served as a crucial part of their two-round playoff run, even earning praise from Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic in the process.

And while one could claim that the primary shooting guard position is Dort’s to lose coming into the new season, the 6-goot-5 elephant in the room in Caruso is one that certainly must be acknowledged before any definitive conclusions are drawn.

As suggested in the previous slide, the idea of inserting their splashy summer acquisition into the starting rotation is absolutely one that could be pondered ahead of 2024-25.

With his experience of having won a title coupled with his highly valuable and reliable long-range shooting stroke, there’s a legitimate argument one could make that Alex Caruso is, in fact, the better-fitting backcourt sidekick to the drive-oriented Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Perhaps the one thing that bodes in Dort’s favor in the race for the starting shooting guard slot is the fact that, with his more refined offensive repertoire, the veteran newcomer is more equipped to be a spark-plug sixth man than the long-tenured defensive savant, so that’s certainly something that will come into play when coach Daigneault weighs out his options.

Still, at this point, it’s far too early to tell who of the two will end up earning the job come October.