Lu Dort Emerging as Scoring Option for Thunder
Luguentz Dort has metamorphosed before our eyes this season.
What started out as a slow, inefficient stretch of games for the Thunder’s third-year guard has quickly turned into what looks to be a breakout season.
Dort, frankly, was bad to start the season. He scored just 11.7 points per contest through the first six games, shooting 35% from the field and a hideous 22 percent from three on 5.2 attempts.
Then, he took one game off due to a minor injury.
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In the 12 games since sitting versus the Clippers, Dort has averaged 20.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists. He’s shot 45% from the field and 35% from 3-point land, easily the best splits in his career in those categories.
He has at times looked like Oklahoma City’s go-to scorer, even with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the court. He saw a stretch of five games with more than 20 points scored, going as high as 34 against the Houston Rockets.
On the season, Dort’s averages now stands at 17.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists. He’s scoring just 2.8 points per game less than Gilgeous-Alexander.
Keeping in mind that Dort plays some of the stingiest on-ball defense in the league in a bulky, 6-foot-3 frame, Dort has been star-level good in his recent slate.
Dort has seen increased levels of play before: his singular playoff series, and several stints in Year 2. But his recent stretch of play feels different and much more replicable.
Dort and the Thunder will be back in action on Monday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m.
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