Pro Sun Devil closes out strong season in the NBA

DALLAS, — Former Sun Devil basketball standout Luguentz (Lu) Dort saw his fourth NBA season come to a close last night in Dallas. Dort has worked his way into a starting role for the Oklahoma City Thunder, the No.1 seed in the Western Conference. This season Dort averaged double figures in scoring, with 10.9 points per game, as well as adding 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists on almost 30 minutes a game while shooting 43% from the floor.

However, the most impactful aspect of Dort’s game is his lockdown defense. The former Sun Devil has crafted a reputation around the league for being a hard-nosed, gritty defender, especially on the perimeter. He uses every inch of his 6’4, 220 lb linebacker-like frame to be a nuisance to offensive players.

Former Sun Devil standout Lu Dort makes playoff impact

In the Thunder’s second-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks, Dort was tasked with guarding one of the top players in the world: Luka Doncic.

Dort has earned the nickname “The Dorture Chamber”, and Doncic was in prison in Game 1. The Mavs’ star went 6-19 from the field, and 1-8 from three against the Thunder. He also had a +/- of -21, meaning OKC outscored Dallas by 21 points total when Doncic was on the court.

The ASU basketball product played 26 minutes and had two steals as well as several deflections against Doncic. Dort was +18, tied for the second-highest +/- in the game. OKC cruised to a 117-95 victory.

However, fast forward a little over a week later, and the Thunder couldn’t close the deal. Last night the Mavericks secured their advancement in Game 6, beating Oklahoma City 117-116. Dort played 32 minutes, scoring 11 points, gathering three rebounds, and forcing three steals.

Unfortunately for Dort and OKC, it wasn’t enough to advance.

While the ending of the season wasn’t what Dort and the Thunder were hoping for, this season proved that the former Sun Devil has what it takes to flourish at the highest level of basketball in the world.

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