Thunder Guard Lu Dort Sustains Concussion Prior to First Preseason Game

Newly extended OKC guard Luguentz Dort sustained a concussion in practice.
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Thunder guard Luguentz Dort sustained a concussion during yesterday’s team practice and has been placed in concussion protocol, the team announced on Monday afternoon.

Per the NBA’s concussion policy, Dort will begin NBA-mandated return-to-participation protocol, which includes a series of steps designed to ensure the player shows no concussion signs before returning to play.

Dort will undoubtedly miss Monday’s preseason opener against the Nuggets, and could be in jeopardy of missing more preseason games as well.

While there is no specific timetable for concussion protocol, it’s likely Dort will be able to return to play for Oklahoma City’s regular season opener against the new-look Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m.

Lu Dort
Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports

Outside of Dort, second overall selection Chet Holmgren, who will miss his entire rookie season due to a Lisfranc injury suffered in an offseason pro-am, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with a grade 2 MCL sprain, the Thunder should be full-go tonight against Denver.

Down one likely starter in Dort, there’s a variety of players who could step into the role for the time being. Oklahoma City’s third first rounder in the 2022 draft, lottery selection Jalen Williams, is the most likely to step into the role on short notice.

With several good traits jam packed into a nice frame, Williams is certainly a day-one contributor, and could see the starting lineup by year’s end.

He’s versatile offensively, being able to spot up, cut and even function as a primary or secondary playmaker.

Defensively, he’s got a 7-foot wingspan that makes him positionally versatile, as we saw against No. 3 overall pick Jabari Smith Jr. in Summer League.

Head coach Mark Daigneault has been exploratory in year’s past, and there will be no shortage of players looking to crack the starting lineup.


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Derek Parker
DEREK PARKER

Derek Parker covers the National Basketball Association and has brought On SI five seasons of coverage across several different teams. He graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma in 2020 and has experience working in print, video, and radio.