OKC Thunder: Can Lu Dort Transform His Offense?

The Thunder are in the final stages of their rebuild and are looking to ascend into championship contention.

In doing so, OKC will need to decide which players will be a part of that journey. When making these decisions, no player is as polarizing as Luguentz Dort.

Dort signed with the Thunder on a two-way contract as an undrafted free agent in 2019. Eventually, Dort’s role continued to grow in his rookie season before earning a starting spot that he has held since.

Dort has always been a bit of an enigma offensively. The best example of this is his lone playoff series in the 2020 bubble. After averaging nine points and shooting under 20% from beyond the arc going into game seven, Dort exploded for a game-high 30 points and hit six of his 12 3-point attempts.

OKC has been in rebuild mode in the three seasons since, giving Dort the green light to expand his offensive game. Results have varied.

In the 2020-21 season Dort’s usage jumped, and he began to settle into a more prominent offensive role. His shot attempts doubled from his rookie season, and his 3-point percentage rose from 29% to 34%.

His role has remained virtually unchanged since his second season. Unfortunately, Dort’s efficiency has plateaued, leading to questions about his viability as a long-term piece.

The Arizona State product’s claim to sticking around has been on the defensive end, where he is the Thunder’s heart and soul. Known as one of the most physical defenders in the league, Dort has narrowly missed out on an all-defensive selection in his young career.

While his defensive reputation has been enough early in his career, Dort’s offense must evolve. Although he could take on a similar role to former Thunder wing Andre Roberson, Dort is a more polished offensive player and can be far more helpful.

Roberson’s role is, however, a solid foundation to build on. As it had been with Roberson, the Thunder’s offense is almost always in a better position when Dort does not have the ball in his hands.

Unlike his predecessor, Dort’s situation is fueled by the immense collection of talent around him. Thunder GM Sam Presti has spent the last few seasons building a roster full of players who can operate effectively when they have the ball.

With a plethora of options around him, Dort should be able to fall back into being a defensive specialist. Ideally, as Dort’s offensive role shrinks, his efficiency will improve as he gets better quality opportunities.

Dort has been a poor shooter his entire career, and opposing defenses have preyed on that. It would be insane to expect him to become a 40% shooter from 3-point range, but improving to league average would help tremendously.

As underwhelming as his outside shooting has been, his ability to finish at the rim has been among the worst in the league.

Dort is often out of control when he drives, leading to subpar results. His lack of control has led to wild layup attempts and turnovers in part because he is not in a position to absorb contact at the rim.

His out-of-control nature does have its benefits, as Dort has averaged at least three free throw attempts each of the last three seasons. A career 78% free throw shooter, Dort hovers around league average at the line and is a positive for OKC.

Dort will need to continue drawing fouls and getting to the line while minimizing his shot attempts overall. This does not mean he needs to be relegated to never being a creator, but he should be more selective with his attacks.

Cutting down Dort’s touches should help minimize his bad possessions. Ultimately, the goal should be to turn Dort’s bad possessions from recent years into possessions featuring guys such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Jalen Williams.

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