{"id":2105,"date":"2025-02-26T17:01:47","date_gmt":"2025-02-26T21:01:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/lu-dorts-stunning-climb-from-undrafted-rookie-to-elite-defender-on-thunders-championship-quest\/"},"modified":"2025-02-26T17:01:51","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T21:01:51","slug":"lu-dorts-stunning-climb-from-undrafted-rookie-to-elite-defender-on-thunders-championship-quest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/lu-dorts-stunning-climb-from-undrafted-rookie-to-elite-defender-on-thunders-championship-quest\/","title":{"rendered":"Lu Dort&#8217;s Stunning Climb from Undrafted Rookie to Elite Defender on Thunder&#8217;s Championship Quest"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><\/p>\n<figure class=\"style_hfl21i-o_O-style_uhlm2\">\n<div class=\"style_7z5va1-o_O-style_6s3kpz-o_O-style_uhlm2\">\n<div id=\"mmvid\" class=\"style_1b9a20e-o_O-style_uhlm2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_mjeb2llv4\">In the year 2019, Luguentz Dort, known as Lu to his friends, teammates, and the opponents he often vexes, was poised for a pivotal moment. After a single season at Arizona State, Dort headed to New York, aspiring to be a first-round selection in the NBA draft. Confident he&#8217;d at least be an early second-round pick, he ended the night undrafted. &#8220;I remember everything about that night,&#8221; Dort recalls. Everything? <em>&#8220;Everything,&#8221;<\/em> he insists.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_xlx70rfa0\">Dort&#8217;s journey then led him from the G League to becoming a cornerstone of the Oklahoma City Thunder\u2014now the NBA\u2019s most formidable defensive team and a championship contender. He has benefited from the mentorship of Chris Paul, the coaching of Billy Donovan and Mark Daigneault, and has formed a strong connection with fellow Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a central figure in the Thunder&#8217;s youth movement.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_ybx74ma37\">In a revealing discussion on the <em>Sports Illustrated<\/em> &#8220;Open Floor&#8221; podcast, Dort shared insights into his NBA journey, Oklahoma City&#8217;s swift ascension, and the qualities that make him a top defender in the league.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<figure data-mm-id=\"_1nfqw7uob\" class=\"style_56av23-o_O-style_6s3kpz\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"style_1nhfz2\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/0rwpQxn05G8CwCcVftwHZ8?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_zv4k2rmlq\">(<em>The interview has been lightly edited for clarity.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_fkx88k6ey\"><strong>Sports Illustrated: How difficult was that draft night for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_61rfnksl3\"><strong>Lu Dort: <\/strong>It was incredibly tough. I just sat there waiting. And the crazy part at the draft is that they bring cameras to you whenever they think you&#8217;ll be called next. So the cameras were pointed at me at least 10 times.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_4zvz0zncd\"><strong>SI: That\u2019s quite harsh.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_3v9pl7vpo\"><strong>LD: <\/strong>Every time it happened, I kept thinking, &#8220;Is it now? Is it me?&#8221; It happened so often that I was overwhelmed with emotions by the end\u2014sadness, anger, doubt. I was all over the place emotionally, and yes, I cried too. As I was leaving the draft, I received a call from Sam Presti of the Thunder offering me a two-way contract.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_z3vzm2lkw\"><strong>SI: Have you ever figured out why you weren\u2019t picked earlier?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_66g1po19r\"><strong>LD: <\/strong>To this day, I still think about it. I had been working out for some teams then, and I wish I could ask some of the GMs what I was lacking. Even now, with the AAU team I support, I wish I had clear advice to offer them, but I\u2019m still seeking those answers myself.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_eelxlu76o\">In college, I wasn&#8217;t the most efficient player. Known for taking poor shots, which you might expect from a young player eager to showcase all his skills, I wasn&#8217;t the best shooter. However, I believed a team would see potential in me and choose to develop it. Unfortunately, that didn&#8217;t happen as I expected.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_04f7bos54\"><strong>SI: I imagine you were highly motivated when you arrived in Oklahoma City.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_a4c8k4d35\"><strong>LD: <\/strong>Yes, when Will Dawkins, the assistant GM at the time, picked me up, I was visibly upset. The first thing he said to me was that the draft was just the beginning. Now that I was in, I had a long career ahead. He was trying to motivate me because he knew how disappointed I was from the draft, which surprised many people, not just me. After meeting some of the front office and coaches at the Thunder facility, I moved all my belongings here and was ready to start anew.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_zb2cqx56p\"><strong>SI: You arrived in Oklahoma just as the team began to rebuild, trading away stars like Russell Westbrook and Paul George. What was that first year like?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_xfdg9olnh\"><strong>LD: <\/strong>It all started during Summer League. That\u2019s when the trades happened. We acquired Shai, and around the same time, Russ was traded. For me, it was all about finding a way to earn some playing time. I spent most of the early year with the G League, playing about 20 games. When injuries hit our team, I was the only one they could call up. That was my real chance. After a few games, I started playing regularly, and since then, I haven\u2019t been back to the G League.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<div data-mm-id=\"_q4j9qshua\">\n<div class=\"style_120ff32\">\n<figure data-id=\"_q4j9qshua\" class=\"base_1ifrhav\" data-mm-type=\"image\"><canvas class=\"style_1e28o3x-o_O-initial_9vayoh\"><\/canvas><picture class=\"base_1emrqjj-o_O-initial_fzbddc-o_O-style_1a1csmw\"><source><\/source><source><\/source><source><\/source><\/picture><noscript><picture class=\"base_1emrqjj\"><source  media=\"(max-width: 719px)\"><\/source><source  media=\"(max-width: 1079px)\"><\/source><source  media=\"(min-width: 1080px)\"><\/source><\/picture><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wrapper_brpv6a\"><figcaption class=\"tagStyle_1ulimm5-o_O-text_1j8vahs\">Dort says defense has been the key to Oklahoma City\u2019s success this season. \/ Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_os4vmz26x\"><strong>SI: And just when you started to get some minutes, the pandemic hit. How did you use that time away from the game?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_ebhxehos4\"><strong>LD:<\/strong> It was actually really good for me especially. I had spent a lot of time with the Thunder so I kind of knew what my role was going to be, what I could bring to the table and what some of the stuff I could get better at. So that low time frame that we had between the stop of the season and the bubble, that\u2019s when I knew, I knew I\u2019m going to be this crazy defender out there and then be a pest and be a dog out there.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_ikenhrlq3\">That\u2019s when I started working on some of the footwork stuff and watching a lot of film. I remember I was having calls with one of the assistant coaches and we just went over random things, like we\u2019ll pick a couple players and go over scouts and stuff like that. And then that\u2019s when I transitionally knew what type of player I was going to be in this league. And then when we got to the bubble I was like, yeah, and anybody who\u2019s in front of me, I\u2019ll compete real hard and try to dog them.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_9450djhtc\"><strong>SI: What\u2019s your approach to defense? Do you focus more on your game or studying the game of your opponents?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_z6oj6ynx4\"><strong>LD: <\/strong>It\u2019s really both. I mean, sometimes it\u2019s hard when we play an East Coast team that we don\u2019t see that often. But we play Dallas a lot, play Sacramento a couple times, and those guys, it\u2019s really where I locked in on the film and really trying to learn their tendencies and what they like to do. But at the same time, I just know that I\u2019m pretty good with my feet and I\u2019m good at maneuvering the screen. I like to study the guy screening. I watch a lot of film on the guy who actually sets the screen.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_4q2ix1iyo\"><strong>SI: Who\u2019s the toughest screener?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_19wn9naju\"><strong>LD: <\/strong>Steven Adams. I played with him my rookie year. He\u2019s a tough one. He knows how to get the good angles and you can\u2019t really bump him. He\u2019s not moving. So sometimes I can move his screener, but a guy like him, I can\u2019t do it.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_asxhsejio\"><strong>SI: You\u2019re a great defender on a team loaded with great defenders. Has that helped you, having so many other guys who can defend around you?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_ogpic69uf\"><strong>LD: <\/strong>It has actually been really helpful. We are all great defenders but we are all really, really, really good at something. So AC [Alex Caruso] is really good at being vocal and just knowing the game. His knowledge for the game is actually crazy sometimes. [Opponents] will call a play and he will know exactly what they\u2019ll do. And he\u2019s really good with his hands. I\u2019m pretty good with my feet and I\u2019m the more physical guy and then I\u2019m pretty fast.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_h47jumaiu\">A guy like Cason [Wallace], he has both, I think he\u2019s pretty good with his feet, he\u2019s physical and he got good hands. So there\u2019s so much stuff that you can learn about, that we can learn about each other. I was guarding one of the Bucks guards [recently] and Cason does this thing every time where whenever a guard crosses the ball in front of him, he always has his hand low. So the whole time I was trying to do it and on the bench he noticed that and he was like, \u201cBro, if you do it, you got to go for real.\u201d Don\u2019t be shy if you put your hand down there, just try to get the ball. And then just little stuff like that really helps because having those types of good defenders on the same team, you can learn. I can learn so much.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o \n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":2106,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"schema_org_data":"","_extracted_celebrities":"","_extracted_movies":"","_extracted_places":"","_extracted_videos":"","_last_enrichment_date":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Lu Dort&#039;s Stunning Climb from Undrafted Rookie to Elite Defender on Thunder&#039;s Championship Quest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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