End of the Season Thunder Awards: Defensive Player of the Year
Continuing SI Thunder's end of season Thunder award series, we hand out Oklahoma City's Defensive Player of the Year.
Given to the standout performer on defense, any player on the OKC roster is eligible for the award.
Nick Crain's Pick: Lu Dort
This one is easy, it’s the guy who might end up making the second NBA All-Defensive Team this season. Lu Dort is without question one of the best perimeter defenders in the entire NBA.
With his linebacker frame, Dort is an absolute beast on the defensive end of the floor. Not only is he active with his hands, deflecting passes and clogging passing lanes, but he’s tough to get by.
When you think about lockdown defenders, Dort’s name will come up for the next decade in the NBA. He’s got the physicality to stick with bigger players but also the footwork to stay in front of small, quick guards.
While his numbers may not be the best in the league in terms of steals and blocks, defense goes much deeper than that. He truly makes the entire team better on the defensive end of the floor and was a key reason the Thunder were a solid defensive team the first half of the year.
Al Horford said it best during the 2020-21 season, calling Dort elite on that end of the floor.
“He’s really an elite defender. Every night he has the biggest challenge,” said Horford. “Even though he’s young, he’s one of the better defenders in the league. He’s proven that.”
End of the Season Thunder Awards:
Derek Parker's Pick: Lu Dort
I'm going to keep this short and sweet.
Luguentz Dort was easily, both through advanced stats and the eye test, Oklahoma City's best defender this season.
The brazen Canadian boldly went where few defenders do, guarding team's opposing No. 1 scorers more than any other player in the league.
Dort is already a legit on ball defender in the NBA, which is hard to come by in a league teeming with brilliant guard-play.
But his frame allows him to go bigger than just guards.
He blocked Donovan Mitchell in crunch-time, he jazz-hand's LeBron James, he consistently went toe-to-toe with the NBA's best on a nightly basis.
I'm going to end this with a few notable defensive performances from Dort this season: Mitchell shot 7-for-22 in 17 minutes, Jamal Murray shot 3-for-13 in 16 minutes and Damian Lillard shot 6-for-15 in 16 minutes.
Ryan Chapman's Pick: Lu Dort
There is no need to overthink this one.
Lu Dort has quickly established himself as not just the best defender in Oklahoma City, but one of the best defenders in the entire league.
When Portland visited OKC early in the season, Damian Lillard hailed Dort as one of the elite defenders in the league, before the Canadian had completed his first 82-game season.
As Dort plays more and more in the league, he'll only get better as he gains more first hand experience matching up against the best scorers in the NBA.
Dort's versatility to guard up and down the lineup sets him apart as well, clearly as Oklahoma City's Defensive Player of the Year.
