OKC Thunder: Lu Dort's Offensive Consistency Will be Key Down the Stretch

Oklahoma City's defensive-minded guard will provide an effective offensive boost into the playoffs if he dials in efficiently.

Throughout the season, offensive production from Lu Dort hasn't always been linear. 

He's had impressive stretches, and he's had rough stretches. This all seems to hang on his 3-point shot, seemingly. When he's shooting the ball well, it usually translates to the rest of his offensive game. And, more often than not, when Dort's sinking multiple threes a game on a high clip, the Thunder offense is excelling as a unit. 

The Arizona State product's month of November was stellar to start the season, and into December. Just under a 44% shooter from distance between those two months on a little more than four tries per game, he was consistently hitting the trey ball alongside around 45% average from the field. 

His 3-pointers take a large chunk of his overall shot diet, which is why his numbers dropped when he had a lagging January, only hitting 31.8% of his tries from downtown to make just 38.2% of his shots overall. He's started to rediscover his flow though in the month of February and now heading into March, as his last 11 games saw him over his season average with 11.4 points per game while shooting 43.5% from three on 5.6 attempts per game.

But his consistency down the stretch and into the playoffs will hold a good amount of implication as Oklahoma City hunts for the top seed in the West and will try to make a somewhat long-awaited return to the Western Conference Finals. 

In the 23 games where Dort has shot over 45% from three, the Thunder came out on the winning side 16 times compared to losing just seven. And six of those 23 saw him notch more than 19 points per game, highlighting the translation of confidence from the third level to the rest of the floor. 

Dort is not an offensive creator, his defensive ability is what his production hinges on. That doesn't need to be said. But it's essential that he's able to nail down his 3-point shot, and be able to reliably sink a few beyond the arc if the Thunder look to have a solidified multi-layered offense into April.  

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Inside the Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.