Lu Dort and Keldon Johnson Set for Battle Thursday

Lu Dort and Keldon Johnson may be in different situations, but the two are similar in most every aspect.

Lu Dort and Keldon Johnson may be the matchup to watch Thursday night when the Thunder take on the Spurs in the team’s sixth preseason game.

Dort and Johnson are both coming off big years, and have a lot of similarities to their games and stats.

The two will likely see a lot of each other on both ends of the floor Thursday night. They are both top players in the lineups of their respective teams.

Johnson has two inches on Dort, but Dort has the weight advantage over Johnson. The pair had eerily similar seasons last season. Dort averaged 17.2 points, notched 4.2 rebounds and dished 1.7 assists per game. Johnson on the other hand scored 17 points, grabbed 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

Both enter their fourth season, the two have both already inked big money extensions for their futures on their respective teams. Dort is the captain of a five-year $82.5 million contract and Johnson holds a four-year $74 million deal.

A key difference between the two is defensive ability. Dort is one of the premiere defenders in the NBA. Johnson, while a solid defender, hasn’t found the same defensive success as Dort has. He’s prone to gafs from time to time, but has shown consistent improvement during his time in the league.

While Dort holds the edge defensively, Johnson has the edge on the other end of the floor both in facilitating and scoring. While their scoring numbers are similar, Johnson is a more efficient scorer.

Johnson is shooting at a 47.8% clip from the field compared to Dorts 39.6% mark. From 3-point range Johnson has also proven to be a marksman coming in at 38.5% while Dort sits at 33.3% in his career.

Dort and Johnson both arrived in the league on different paths, Johnson was a first round pick out of Kentucky while Dort went undrafted out of Arizona State, but the two have both found similar success in the NBA, and the two talented young pieces will matchup Thursday night in a eye-catching duel. 

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