Where OKC Thunder’s Lu Dort Can Improve Next Season

Oklahoma City’s defensive stopper was under a microscope all postseason. Lu Dort was finally able to show off his skills on a national stage and was tasked with a handful of very tough assignments. He wasn’t perfect by any means, but he was able to slow down a few of the NBA’s most talented play makers.

Dort held Brandon Ingram and Luka Doncic well below their regular season averages and switched onto CJ McCollum and Kyrie Irving on a number of occasions too. His defensive versatility was on display and he made life miserable for reach of his matchup. Ingram averaged 14.3 points on 34.5% from the floor and 25% from 3-point range, and wasn’t able to have an impact in the first round.

Doncic was a different story, as the MVP candidate caught fire over the last two games. For the majority of the series, though, Dort held him in check the best he could. Over the series, he shot just 44.7% from the floor, 39% from 3-point range, and he averaged 4.5 turnovers per contest.

Despite losing to the Mavericks in six games, Dort did his part on the defensive end and gave the Thunder a chance.

“Nobody is going to feel okay after losing a playoff series,” Dort said in his exit interview. “We've got to use this as motivation and fuel. Individually, in our off-season, whatever we've got to do to get better as a player and also as a team.

“It's definitely going to be in the back of my head for the rest of my career. Honestly, any time -- you can't take those times for granted. You never know when you're going to make the playoffs again. I'll remember this one, and I can't wait to be back.”

As Dort mentioned, this feels like an experience that will stick with this entire Thunder team for a long time. Now, all the players can do is focus on the off-season and where to improve. For Dort, it’s simple.

He’s never going to be an isolation scorer and his goal is to refine his role to perfection — which he started to do over the course of the season. In the regular season, he shot a career-high 43.8% from the floor and 39.4% from the outside. He also toned back his offensive role after shooting at a high-volume number over the Thunder’s rebuild.

In the playoffs, his percentages went down as the floor shrunk. His 39.1% 3-point mark was exactly what Oklahoma City needed, but his 36.3% from the floor needs to improve for the Thunder to advance in the coming seasons.

As he’s alluded to on multiple occasions, Dort has to finish better around the rim. There were times in the Western Conference Semifinals where it felt like Dort was looking for contact which altered his finishing ability. He’s simply not going to get the same calls Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gets, and needs to stay strong in his complimentary role. He was able to do it all season long, and building on that improvement and showing it in the postseason is the next step in his progression journey.

“I want to just take care of my body, just knowing that it's going to be a lot, the run that we just had, then straight to the national team and coming back ready for the season,” Dort said when talking about his offseason goals. “That will be the biggest one.

“Just everything. When I'm going in the off-season, I'm just working everything and just trying to sharpen my game. I've been having the same game for the past five seasons. It's going to be the same. I won't turn to Shai in one off-season. Just trying to sharpen my game up. Still trying to stay consistent and work on the stuff I need to do to help the team.”

Dort's mind is clearly in the right spot. Sharpening his game and filling in the holes is the perfect way to improve this offseason. If he can hover around the 40% mark from 3-point range, he will be a critical part of the Thunder's longterm success.

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