—“Dort is a linebacker masquerading as a basketball player, a 6-foot-3, broad-shouldered barricade to the paint, the personification of the switchable, try-hard defense the Thunder flash today.”
—“With the 2023-24 season winding down, Dort, 24, has developed into one of the sport’s stingiest stoppers. He’s done it as a member of the league’s surprise team, the up-and-coming Thunder (52-24), which have a chance to finish atop the Western Conference.
His offensive performance has transformed in the process. He’s “cut the fat,” as his head coach Mark Daigneault describes it, eliminating many of his contested or pull-up 3-pointers and instead concentrating on balanced, stand-still jumpers. His efficiency and 3-point percentage have skyrocketed.
All the while, the list of players in Dort’s notes has only grown more diverse. The Thunder defense, which ranks fourth in points allowed per possession, starts with him.”
—“Dort has spent 46 percent of his minutes this season guarding the opposing lineup’s highest-usage player, according to Second Spectrum. That’s the highest rate in the NBA. In other words, no one spends more time than Dort does guarding the head of the snake.
“I always try to test myself against him,” Gilgeous-Alexander told *The Athletic*. “Because he’s the best of the best.”
—“Dort has spent 46 percent of his minutes this season guarding the opposing lineup’s highest-usage player, according to Second Spectrum. That’s the highest rate in the NBA. In other words, no one spends more time than Dort does guarding the head of the snake.
“I always try to test myself against him,” Gilgeous-Alexander told *The Athletic*. “Because he’s the best of the best.””
—“The cumulative effect of studying the main guys, playing against them, learning the hard lessons, studying them again — he’s just repeated that and his effort hasn’t waned,” Daigneault said. “So he’s still got the relentlessness and now he’s got the craft and the rhythm.”
MakeCocktailsNotWar
My fave quote: “Oklahoma City will stick Dort on any type of scorer. Big, small, young, old, tall, wide, in a house, with a mouse — it doesn’t matter. If there’s a player the Thunder want to badger, Dort is on him.”
4 Comments
—“Dort is a linebacker masquerading as a basketball player, a 6-foot-3, broad-shouldered barricade to the paint, the personification of the switchable, try-hard defense the Thunder flash today.”
—“With the 2023-24 season winding down, Dort, 24, has developed into one of the sport’s stingiest stoppers. He’s done it as a member of the league’s surprise team, the up-and-coming Thunder (52-24), which have a chance to finish atop the Western Conference.
His offensive performance has transformed in the process. He’s “cut the fat,” as his head coach Mark Daigneault describes it, eliminating many of his contested or pull-up 3-pointers and instead concentrating on balanced, stand-still jumpers. His efficiency and 3-point percentage have skyrocketed.
All the while, the list of players in Dort’s notes has only grown more diverse. The Thunder defense, which ranks fourth in points allowed per possession, starts with him.”
—“Dort has spent 46 percent of his minutes this season guarding the opposing lineup’s highest-usage player, according to Second Spectrum. That’s the highest rate in the NBA. In other words, no one spends more time than Dort does guarding the head of the snake.
He is even shutting down his teammates.
When MVP candidate [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/shai-gilgeous-alexander-Ghni3y9TrL9rBSl5/) is working on a new aspect of his game, he makes sure to experiment with it against Dort before using it in moments that matter.
“I always try to test myself against him,” Gilgeous-Alexander told *The Athletic*. “Because he’s the best of the best.”
—“Dort has spent 46 percent of his minutes this season guarding the opposing lineup’s highest-usage player, according to Second Spectrum. That’s the highest rate in the NBA. In other words, no one spends more time than Dort does guarding the head of the snake.
He is even shutting down his teammates.
When MVP candidate [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/shai-gilgeous-alexander-Ghni3y9TrL9rBSl5/) is working on a new aspect of his game, he makes sure to experiment with it against Dort before using it in moments that matter.
“I always try to test myself against him,” Gilgeous-Alexander told *The Athletic*. “Because he’s the best of the best.””
—“The cumulative effect of studying the main guys, playing against them, learning the hard lessons, studying them again — he’s just repeated that and his effort hasn’t waned,” Daigneault said. “So he’s still got the relentlessness and now he’s got the craft and the rhythm.”
My fave quote: “Oklahoma City will stick Dort on any type of scorer. Big, small, young, old, tall, wide, in a house, with a mouse — it doesn’t matter. If there’s a player the Thunder want to badger, Dort is on him.”
D
https://preview.redd.it/iz0ne7msrosc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ff3a1edf0f5141c536671803e17a0674e2fe0e1d