Opinion: Lu Dort Still Needs to Find Offensive Consistency in OKC

Lu Dort was perhaps the story of the season in his second year with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The former undrafted free agent from Arizona State proved he has elite defensive upside while he was still on a two-way deal with OKC. But in his sophomore campaign, Dort was forced into the offensive limelight when his fellow Canadian running mate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was shut down for the year to nurse an injury.

With plenty of shots to go radon and no pressure, Dort flashed offensive potential that has traditionally been missing from the Thunder’s designated defensive stopper.

Rounding out his offensive game, Dort attempted twice as many 3-pointers per game as he did in his rookie season, and he shot the ball 4.6 percent better from deep as well.

But in 2021, the step Dort needs to take is to become more consistent.

Armed with the greenest of green lights, Dort delivered in a boom-or-bust fashion last year. In 16 of his 52 appearances for OKC last year, Dort shot under 30 percent from the field.

Though he exploded for 15 or more points on 23 occasions, he’ll need to level out and become more efficient as he continues to grow his offensive game.

Adding Gilgeous-Alexander back to the fray, as well as integrating No. 6-overall pick Josh Giddey into the offense will likely diminish the shot attempts that Dort receives per game. His offensive opportunities shouldn’t just evaporate, however.

Dort proved he has the shooting stroke to be an asset to the Thunder starting lineup, he’ll just need to find a more efficient baseline.

Dennis Schroder accomplished that to great effect during his final season in Oklahoma City. Though his shot attempts only rose by 0.8 shots per game from his first year in OKC to his second, Schroder was able to hone in and focus on getting to his best spots on the floor.

As a result, Schroder helped eliminate the really inefficient shooting nights, and his field goal percentage and 3-point percentage both jumped by over 4.4 percent. Schroder finished second place in the Sixth Man of the Year voting as a result.

Dort doesn’t have to make massive shooting gains this year for his third NBA season to be labeled a success. All he has to do is begin to identify the spots on the floor in which he feels most comfortable, and work toward finding his spots and eliminating the bad shots.

If he can do that in 2021, the Thunder can cement a surprise find out of the undrafted free agent market as a foundational cornerstone alongside Gilgeous-Alexander for years to come.

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