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How Luguentz Dort fixed his 'shot diet' to add another layer to OKC Thunder's offense
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- How Luguentz Dort fixed his 'shot diet' to add another layer to OKC Thunder's offense
NEW ORLEANS — Lu Dort seemingly hadn't given much thought to his shot selection in his early seasons. Not during the ascension he's seen this year, a refreshing (and apparently memory-suppressing) stretch of healthy shot taking and making.
When asked to revisit his old attempts, he barely withheld a smirk.
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"I used to take some wild shots," Dort quipped with a hearty laugh.
But Dort's assessment was serious. The fifth-year Thunder wing is shooting career-highs from both 2-point range (50.5%) and 3-point range (40.4%), a long way from any ill-advised 3s or rough rim takes Dort saw through the years.
Dort's timely transformation began last summer, well before he'd shoot countless shots alone or be influenced by any of Chip Engelland 's airborne magic. It started with a task easier said than done: A simple understanding of what an efficient shot looks like, and the recognition of what he'd subjected himself to.
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Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) shoots a 3-pointer against the Pacers during the first quarter at Paycom Center on March 12.
"What's underneath the shot diet is a committed player," OKC coach Mark Daigneault said. "He's very committed to taking a step forward with his efficiency and doing what he needs to do on offense to help the team be successful. He walked into Oklahoma City out of the summer with that mindset and he was driving that car. That wasn't us with a sales pitch."
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There's a level of introspection that goes into acknowledging the dangerous shots a player might be taking. Plenty of players are the last to recognize it themselves. Plenty would be the last to reach for a correction.
Careers have faltered with players standing before that internal wall, hung up on the kinds of shots that, in plenty of cases, got them to the league. Reinventing yourself as a player, listening to the internal voices that bicker about which spots should be yours — all of it could freeze a player where they stand. But Dort didn't view it that way.
"It's not really hard," Dort said of the mental part of his change. "It's for the best of the team, and it's for the best of me at the same time."
For Dort, and virtually every Thunder player this season, efficiency was clearly defined. For each individual, for the team. An efficient shot for Dort doesn't hold the same value for everyone. Daigneault and his staff have kept that dialogue open, hoping to foster an environment in which one good shot links to another.
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Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) celebrates a 3-point play in the third quarter against the Jazz on March 20 at Paycom Center.
"With most things with players, especially with their shots, I try not to do it on a shot-by-shot basis," Daigneault said of his evaluation. "I don't think that's a really fun way to play. I think it really can bite into a player's confidence and rhythm. So it's not, like, immediate feedback. It's also not a video game, you know?
"There's times where a guy rips a shot that I don't really love. But the goal is that — based on the clarity that we lay out with the team and them understanding what efficiency is and what an efficient shot for them is — hopefully when they shoot a shot that we don't love, they don't love it either."
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A connected web of decision making that would create clearer outliers. A linked thought process that, after too quick of a trigger or a wacky pullup, should provide the sensation of a cigarette to a non-smoker.
Dort is no oracle. Before anyone could foresee the Thunder in contention for first place and his newfound efficiency being a necessary cog, he recognized a level of stagnation that was necessary for him to evolve.
"He did a great job of reflecting on a positive career to this point," Daigneault said. "He's been a very good player. But reflecting on where he can improve, and then implementing that and executing it and now sticking with it, he's been a huge part of why we've been as good as we are offensively."
Perhaps Dort couldn't be so firm in OKC's longterm vision if not for his leap in decision making. He's created separation in some games with his shotmaking, plenty of which he's credited to just thinking differently than the player he was. Dort invested in what it took to be efficient. It might be the best decision he's made in a long time.
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder guard Lu Dort grew into better shooter with Chip Engelland
