When Lu Dort came to the Thunder as an undrafted free agent, he was known as a defensive specialist. Dort made a name for himself in his rookie year for his defense against James Harden in the 2020 playoffs. However, his offensive game, especially his shooting, was a work in progress. Dort knew he needed to focus his development on the offensive side to reach his full potential. Furthermore, people expected him to improve his shooting to be respectable from the outside while mainly remaining a defensive specialist. In his rookie season, he shot 39.4% from the field and 29.7% from three. The Thunder were hopeful that he could get those numbers around 44% from the field and 35-36% from three.
Through Dort’s first four seasons, he was mainly a defensive specialist and was still a work in progress on the offensive end. However, in 2022, the Thunder rewarded Dort with a five-year $87 million contract with the hopes of him developing his offensive game. Even though he was scoring a decent amount in those first four years, he wasn’t doing it efficiently. However, in the last two seasons, he has become a completely different player, especially this season. Today, we will examine why Dort’s development has turned him into a player the Thunder can’t afford to lose long-term.
Thunder Wing Lu Dort Has Quietly Become Someone They Can’t Afford to Lose
Lu Dort’s Offensive Development has Turned Him Into a Weapon
After Dort got his extension in 2022, people thought that if he didn’t turn his offensive game around and become more efficient, he could be expendable people thought Dort’s salary would be used to help facilitate a star trade. This is why, for the longest time, any trade rumors the Thunder had always had Dort in the mix. He was just a defensive specialist, and the Thunder could always find another one of those. However, in 2023-24, right after his extension, he made strides as an offensive player, shooting 43.8% from the field and 39.4% from three, which were all career highs.
In the 2024 offseason, the Thunder got a defensive ace in Alex Caruso. In addition, in 2023, they drafted Cason Wallace, who at Kentucky was known for his defense and showed his potential in his rookie year. With the Thunder’s salary cap situation and those two additions, people began wondering if Dort’s days with the Thunder were coming to an end. However, this year, he has put those wonders to rest with his performance, he is shooting 47.5% from the field and 44.9% from three, all of which are career numbers. Dort has finally hit his potential on the offensive side and has become a legitimate weapon from the perimeter. He has been OKC’s best three-pointer shooter so far this season. Ultimately Dort’s 3-and-D skill set is highly valuable for a title-contending Thunder squad.
He Has Kept His Defensive Ability and Gotten Better
The Thunder and everybody knew he had to improve his offense to reach his full potential. However, when he got better on offense, they didn’t want his defense to suffer because that made him special to begin with. Since then, he has blown way past those expectations, shooting 44.9% from three, and has become a legit weapon from the perimeter. Even with this jump, he has kept his defensive intensity and further improved on that side of the ball.
In addition to his offensive jump, Dort has maintained his elite defense. Despite sharing the court with Caruso and Wallace, Dort is still tasked with guarding the opposing team’s top option. In the first 14 games, he has held Jamal Murray to 12 points, Anfernee Simons to nine points, James Harden to 12 points and 17 points, and Jalen Green to 14 points, to name a few. Dort’s ability as an elite on-ball stopper is crucial to OKC’s defensive success. Furthermore, Dort is averaging a career-high in steals with 1.2 and blocks with 0.7. Dort could earn some individual recognition for his contributions to the league’s best defense.
The Last Word on Lu Dort’s Development
The 2026 offseason is going to be very important for the Thunder. That offseason, they will have to decide who they will have to pay and who they will have to let go. As they will have many players who will be free agents or could become free agents with an option. With Dort’s development on the offensive side, he will be a hard player to let go. Dort has quietly joined the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren of players the Thunder can’t afford to lose long-term. Especially if the Thunder want to be one of the more dominant teams for the next decade.
