Lu Dort's 3-Point Improvement Proof of Another Thunder Success Story
Lu Dort's fit on the Thunder and his role within the starting lineup has been a central talking point since he arrived in Oklahoma City. At the beginning of his time with the Thunder, there were no expectations and it was all about development. As the team got better and Dort was awarded a five-year extension though, it was always going to be a discussion.
The defensive stopper has been able to score in bunches over the course of his career, although his scoring was rather inefficient. At times, his shooting slumps and out of control style plagued the Thunder offense. After scoring 17.2 points per game in 2021, it was also a major question mark regarding Dort's willingness to take a step back in the offense and be more of a role player.
What he's doing on the 2023-24 Thunder team should put all those questions to rest, and as the contracts get bigger and bigger, Dort's extension is looking more like a value deal. He has been the perfect piece in the starting lineup and has improved in multiple key categories.
He's had hot stretches from downtown over stretches of games throughout his career, but nothing like the consistency he has reached this season. This isn't a hot or cold stretch, it's turning into a full 82-game sample size. Dort's volume has gone down and he's learning to only take the open looks. Of course Oklahoma City still trusts him to drive the ball and be a basketball player, but the role feels much more identified this season.
He's averaging 10.7 points, which is a step back for him, but it has been a career-year of efficiency. Dort is shooting 44.5% from the floor and 41% from behind the 3-point line. Both marks are comfortably career-highs. A season ago, he was at 33% from outside, and his previous career-best was 34.3% in 2020-21.
His defense hasn't dropped one bit, so providing any sort of efficient offense is great news for the Thunder. He has been a key part to this team's success and his buy-in to the new offensive role has paid dividends. The better Dort shoots, the better this team can be.
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