(Editor’s note: We are starting individual grades for all players from the 2021-22 Oklahoma City Thunder. To access other reviews as part of this ongoing series, click here.)
With the 2021-22 regular season now officially in the books, the Oklahoma City Thunder (24-58) finished their season with the fourth-best lottery odds. This means it is now time for individual player grades for all 26 players who suited up for the team this season during the 82 games. The grades will be determined by what the season expectations were for each player and how they lived up to them.
The third player in the installment will be Lu Dort, who completed his third season. Dort averaged career highs in scoring and three-point shooting before his season came to a premature end due to a torn labrum.
2021-22 statistics
17.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 40.4 percent shooting from the field, 33.2 three-point shooting on 7.7 attempts in 51 games.
Significant Advanced Statistics
Usage percentage: 23.3 percent
VORP: -0.1
42.9 percent shooting on corner threes
Only 14.3 percent of his threes were from the corner spots
Contract
2023-23: $1.9 million on a team option
Thoughts
Dort took a significant leap this year in terms of workload and volume scoring. Dort finished the season averaging career highs in points, field goals made, field goals attempted, three-pointers made and three-pointers attempted. Dort also had a career-high in usage percentage at 23.3 percent.
Dort is clearly not his defensive-minded guard predecessors as he is willing to shoot every time the ball touches his hands. In fact, he is so far on the other side of the spectrum that it might be a bit concerning just how willing of a gunner Dort has developed into.
While it is a good thing that Dort lacks no confidence in shooting the ball, the efficiency suffered a bit as he was a slightly below-average league shooter. And if Dort is going to continue to shoot up as many threes as he did this season, that needs to improve to better the team’s overall offense.
Which leads me to my next point — is Dort going to be willing to eliminate the temptation of jacking up so many shots on the next ideal Thunder team? With how things stand right now, Dort will probably be the fourth or fifth scoring option on a title contending team. Asking someone to go back to being just a corner catch-and-shoot player after spending two of his three first seasons being one of the better scoring options on a NBA team is quite the thing to ask for that could potentially rub someone the wrong way.
In terms of his defense, Dort had another good campaign where he was the team’s best perimeter on-ball defender and was asked to guard the opposing best guard/wing on the team. Most nights, Dort lived up to the challenge. The off-ball defense needs some polishing as he was caught one too many times ball watching, which led to relapses on defense. But I am willing to chalk that up to Dort simply being fatigued from his increased offensive load and having to take defensive possessions off to conserve energy.
Final Grade
In a vacuum, Dort had a great third season as he continues to improve his offensive game. It’s pretty crazy to think just how much Dort has progressed in a little over two years since being called up from the G League as an undrafted free agent. The Thunder found a gem in Dort as he will most likely enjoy a long career in the league as a elite on-ball defender who is a streaky enough shooter to warrant respect from the opposition — which is a long way from his rookie season where his shot arc looked like a rainbow and opposing defenses basically dared him to shoot.
In terms of the future, it’s going to be interesting to see how this summer plays out for Dort as he is eligible for a rookie extension. Due to him not signing a traditional rookie contract, Dort will be able to enter free agency next summer unrestricted if a new deal is not agreed upon until then. Thunder general manager Sam Presti said during his exit interview that he will talk to Dort about a potential extension this offseason but notes that it’s not an urgent priority for the franchise and that they are willing to wait it out if they have to.
Dort’s torn labrum also threw a curveball to his long-term projection with the team. Dort said that he’s still two-to-three months away from being cleared to return in his exit interview but that timeline should still give him time to be ready for the start of training camp. A torn labrum isn’t nothing to sleep on but at the same time it is not a career-altering injury, especially in Dort’s case where the injury occurred on his non-shooting shoulder.
Dort is a weird fit for this team as the two best players are guard in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey. The team also has Tre Mann and potentially a top-12 pick to worry about in terms of other guards on the team. This could create a situation where there’s a logjam in the backcourt and the team needs to decide who the odd man out is, and considering Dort’s playstyle and contract situation, that could lead to him being the one who draws the short straw.
