Donovan: Dort has an Elite Mentality

Lu Dort is accomplishing in half a season what Andre Roberson couldn't in five. He's making Thunder fans understand the importance of a defensive specialist.

Even though Roberson's shooting percentage is almost 50 percent, most fans (and some media) would rather complain about all the corner threes his missed vs. his ability to guard some of the NBA's best offensive players.

For whatever reason, Roberson doesn't connect with those who cheer for and talk about the Thunder. Dort, by comparison, is the apple of everyone's eye.

One reason is for his clutch performance in game four. He hit a 24-foot three-pointer with just under five minutes to go giving the Thunder a 103-102 lead; Dort also did his usual number on James Harden.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝟒𝟖 | 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐬 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝟏
𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘷. 𝘙𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘴 (𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘦 4) pic.twitter.com/Xt382USH7B
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) August 25, 2020

Another reason, Dort, is that in many ways, the perfect Thunder guy. The son of Haitian immigrants Dort grew up in Montreal Nord, where the average household income is just over $33,500 (American) per year.

Dort went undrafted after just one year at Arizona State. He would go on to start 21 games and was rewarded with a four-year contract. He's the ultimate underdog a perfect representation of a city that, according to snobs in the Pacific Northwest, shouldn't even have a team.

Billy Donovan says, "Lu has got a really great talent defensively."..."He's gonna work hard."... "He pays attention."

"I'm really happy for him because here's a player that left after his freshman year didn't get drafted, is on a two-way contract, he's in the G-League, wanting to know if he's ever gonna get a chance to play in the NBA and he is a little more than a year later from last year's draft to now starting in a playoff series and playing significant minutes."

When asked why Dort went undrafted last Summer, Donovan says it's because people don't value or see the talent in players like him.

"It's all about the mentality he's got the same physical attributes as he did at Arizona State."..."He hasn't changed that much as a player."

"He has an elite mentality; he has a special mentality."..."You're not going to find too many guys that compete harder than him."

It's that mentality that allows Dort to guard some of the best scorers in the NBA night in, night out. As long as he never loses his edge, Dort will become one of the most respected players to ever step on a court.

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With more than 20 years of experience hosting local and national radio shows, Erik Gee is a fixture of Oklahoma sports media. He has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder for the past six seasons. He is also the co-host of the Pat Jones show on 97.1 The Sports Animal in Tulsa.

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