OKC Thunder: Lu Dort Appears Ready to Make Yet Another Leap

Thunder guard Lu Dort will look to take his offensive game to a new level in the 2022-23 season.

Not long ago, Lu Dort was an undrafted rookie on a two-way contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was known for being a defensive-minded prospect that ultimately ended up earning a full-time contract by the end of his first season. 

Even at the end of his rookie year, Dort wasn't a very polished offensive prospect. He had shown flashes of being able to score at a high level, but it wasn't consistent. In that 2019-20 season, he finished with an average of 6.8 points per contest while shooting 29.7% from deep. 

In his second season, Dort was thrown into a larger role as the Thunder truly hit reset. He took a huge leap as an offensive player that season, producing 14.0 points per game on 34.4% from beyond the arc in year two. In year three, he would go on to become an even more focal point of the offense and scored 17.2 points per contest. However, his 2021-22 season was cut short due to a shoulder injury. 

On Sunday night, Dort made his preseason debut after missing Oklahoma City's first three games in concussion protocol. If that game was any indication of what he will look like in year four, big things are ahead. 

Lu Dort with 23 points at the Half⚡️ pic.twitter.com/USwSeFJrCe

— TT⚡️ (@ThunderTalkYT) October 10, 2022

Dort came out hot, scoring the Thunder's first five points of the game. From there, he would finish out the first half with 23 points on 4-of-9 from deep. He did this in just 17 minutes as his offensive game looked as good as it ever has. 

It will be interesting to see how Dort looks on that end during the season with the entire roster around him. Although he isn't the Thunder's top scoring option, he could be someone that flirts with a 20 points per game mark. 

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