NBA Analytics Expert Makes the Case for Lu Dort to win Defensive Player of the Year

With Victor Wembanyama out of the mix for Defensive Player of the Year, could Oklahoma City's Lu Dort take home the award?

Mar 12, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) drives the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) in the second quarter at TD Garden. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The hunt for 2025 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award appeared to be a one-man race for much of the season, with San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama racking up impressive defensive stats.

The Spurs were forced to shut Wembanyama down for the season, however, due to deep vein thrombosis in the second-year player's shoulder. With Wembanyama now unable to hit the minimum games threshold required by the league to be eligible for awards, the Defensive Player of the Year race is wide open again.

Currently, it appears that Atlanta's Dyson Daniels or Memphis' Jaren Jackson Jr. are the favorites to take home the award this season, there is a chance that a Thunder player could sneak into the race.

With the best defense in the NBA this season, Oklahoma City has a handful of players who are talented defenders. In a recent social media post, Todd Whitehead of Sportradar, a sports data and technology brand, made the case for multiple Thunder players using his website's analytics.

"Case for Lu Dort: A Thunder must win DPOY and he is the guy who will guard the other team's best player on a nightly basis," Whitehead wrote. "Case against Lu Dort: The Thunder have so many good defenders, how do you pick just one?"

Case for Lu Dort: A Thunder must win DPOY and he is the guy who will guard the other team's best player on a nightly basis.

Case against Lu Dort: The Thunder have so many good defenders, how do you pick just one? pic.twitter.com/FZtCASc5uq

— Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) March 23, 2025

According to Sportradar's data, the Thunder are the only team in the NBA with the most "plus defenders" in its rotation with 11. No other team in the league has more than 10, according to the company's metrics.

In his social media post, Whitehead also made the case for Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as well as a number of other players around the league.

While Dort seems like a long shot to win the Defensive Player of the Year award, the Arizona State product has been one of the top defenders on a team that is on the verge of winning more than 60 games. After a strong performance in the playoffs last season, though, Dort will likely get more recognition in award voting at the end of the season.

If the staunch defender is able to have another high-profile defensive performance in the postseason, he will have a better chance of being a frontrunner for the award next season.

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