Cason Wallace, Lu Dort Forming a Balanced Blend as Two-Way Impactors

Lu Dort and rookie Cason Wallace have been methodical to start the season, and it hasn't just been on the defensive side of the ball.

Eight games into the season, Oklahoma City has looked fairly balanced on each side of the ball.

The team's offense in particular is performing at an immensely high rate, scoring nearly 119 points a night along with holding the NBA's best true shooting percentage at 61.1%.

But the perimeter-defending duo in rookie Cason Wallace and Lu Dort has already proved to cause issues for some of the league's stars like Donovan Mitchell and Trae Young. It's been evident through the years that Dort is a formidable on-ball defender, and it looks like Wallace is following right in his footsteps as a guy who can also guard the opposing team's No. 1 offensive threat each night. 

The pair helped hold Mitchell to a lowly 8-of-23 shooting in the Thunder's 128-120 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday evening, while also helping force 18 turnovers to Oklahoma City's benefit. They game planned, and it worked, shrugging off a previous 43-point outing from Mitchell against the Thunder in the second contest of the season.

And on Monday night, they'd hold Young to just 5-for-18 from the field with seven turnovers in a Thunder win against the Atlanta Hawks, with Wallace adding four steals.

They enter each game prepared — and Lu Dort credits that to a group chat in which the Thunder wings send clips of high-level opponents they're slated to face throughout the week.

Lu Dort revealed that a group of Thunder guys has a group chat going where clips of upcoming high-level perimeter opponents are shared. They watch on their own and then work through strategies together for guarding those elite players.

"We're really locked in on that."

— Nick Gallo (@NickAGallo) November 9, 2023

Comprised of Wallace, Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Keyontae Johnson, this group message has seemed to hold them accountable thus far.

"We're really locked in on that," Dort said.

And while Wallace and Dort remain an arduous-defending duo, they have also maintained their poise and efficiency offensively — pinning them as a strong two-way tandem.

Both are shooting lights-out from 3-point distance, with Dort shooting 52.5% and Wallace shooting 57.1% from beyond the arc. A percentage that is sure to drop with a larger sample size, these numbers eight games into the season are incredibly impressive nonetheless.

Additionally, the pair isn't just shooting at a high clip from three. Dort holds a 53.4% from the field, and Wallace has continued to excel, shooting 69.2% of his own.

With outings of 29, 25 and 19 points early this season, Dort's fit into this Thunder offense has appeared seamless so far, seeing him average 15.1 points per game.

These numbers aren't just a representation of a stretch of lucky games or uncharacteristic performances either, both players are finding their rhythm and helping lead this Oklahoma City team to victories. Each are carefully choosing their shots, and finding their spots on the floor that best suit them.

With two talents who are determined defensively while providing as a big of a boost offensively as they are currently, they will continue to act as the foundation of victories for the Thunder as they have in the team's first five wins.

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