From almost the moment Lu Dort stepped on the court for the Oklahoma City Thunder in his rookie season, it was clear defense was his forte.
But one specific problem plagued him on that end: fouling. In the second game of his career, he fouled out in 19 minutes of play. Over his first eight games, all of which came off the bench, he averaged about three fouls in 17 minutes per game.
Yet his defense was undeniably strong, and he quickly earned a spot in the starting lineup that he hasn’t let go of. But fouling continued to be an issue.
In the playoffs, Dort defended James Harden well and managed to avoid fouling the star guard better than most. Harden attempted 10 or more free throws in just one game over that seven-game series; in the next series against the Lakers, he hoisted that many three times in five games, including 20 attempts from the stripe in Game 4.
Yet for how remarkable of a job Dort did, he still reached five fouls in three of the seven games.
That’s a long-winded build-up to saying he was better at controlling his fouls as a second-year player. It was something he focused on.
“That was a big thing last year,” he said during his exit interview in May. “Study more on my opponents, watching a lot of film to know their best tricks.”
In 2020-21, Dort did not foul out once. He reached five fouls three times and reached four fouls 13 others. In 25 of his 52 games, he committed two fouls or fewer.
By per-36 minutes numbers, Dort averaged 4.3 fouls as a rookie and 3.1 in his second season.
While much attention has been paid to Dort’s growth on offense — and rightfully so — his defense improved, too. Continued technical growth on that end of the court will be important if he is to be a cornerstone of the Thunder’s defense when the team is ready to compete.
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