Stiles Points: OKC Thunder Have Seen Lu Dort Master Role

The Oklahoma City Thunder have long been developing and shaping Lu Dort's role and in this season he looks to have mastered it.

Nov 11, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) reacts after forward Jalen Williams dunks against the Los Angeles Clippers during the fourth quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder have already been able to label Lu Dort a success story. An undrafted guard from Arizona State who inked a two-way deal with the team following the 2019 NBA Draft right as the ground in Bricktown shifted beneath the franchise.

The Thunder traded away Dort's all-time favorite player in Russell Westbrook and pulling off a heist by shipping Paul George to the Clippers, signaling a rebuild for one of the league's most stable franchises since arriving in Oklahoma City.

Things in Dort's rookie year did not go according to plan in more ways than one. Not only was the team given a 0.2 percent chance to make the NBA Playoffs but were playing for the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference when the league shut down to a Global Pandemic - but the Arizona State rookie was thrusted into the rotation for Billy Donovan totaling 36 games, including 28 starts, and earning the top defensive assignments.

While being hindered by the previous set of two-way rules, Dort couldn't even practice with the varsity club until the NBA Bubble where he started playoff games for the franchise fresh out of Tempe.

From there, he had a coming out party in flustering James Harden, became a NBA meme icon and has turned into a staple of the Thunder's starting lineup.

That long and winding road has led to Nov. 11 as the Oklahoma City Thunder play host to James Harden's Clippers. The once rebuilding Thunder viewed as contenders and Dort in year six marking one of the best two-way storybooks in league history.

In this contest, Dort produced 19 points, two rebounds, an assist, two steals and a bounty of drawn offensive foul calls while shooting 4-for-8 from beyond the arc and 50 percent from the floor.

One of the best defenders in the league is now becoming an efficent offensive weapon for the Thunder - a feat, frankly, few thought were possible.

Dort is enjoying a career-best 72 percent at the cup through the first ten games placing him in the 74th percentile according to Cleaning the Glass. This is a massive jump from his previous career high, last season, of a lowly 57 percent at the tin.

His 3-point shot, which doomed him as a rookie bursting his bubble in Disney World, is also at a career-high 45 percent including a jaw-dropping 49 percent on non-corner triples.

While you can sprinkle all of this with small sample size, if Dort can maintain this efficiency throughout the season - after making strides a year ago by admittedly cutting out bad shots - the Arizona State product not only becomes the NBA's best two-way fairy tale but the best 3-and-D option in the association.

Stiles Points:

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander earn a career-high with 45 points on Monday against the Clippers in what was his overall best game of the season. The Thunder star was perfect in picking his spots to drive, pull the trigger from distance or defer to teammates.
• Jalen Williams was an energizer bunny with massive jams via cuts and in transition and game changing defensive plays. All after jumping in the circle to tip-off a game for the first time since he was approximately eight years old.
• Alex Caruso had his best game as a member of the Thunder adding 12 points to his suffocating defense including timely triples.
• Kenrich Williams had his return to the lineup and despite playing just five minutes, physically looked really good fresh off a knee surgey. His return is massive for OKC to give the Thunder a small ball five with a center's mentality.
• Aaron Wiggins was all over the floor posting 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and a block in this contest.

Song of the Day: Treat Me Nice by Elvis Presley

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