Oklahoma Metropolis has the proper mixture of expertise to make a run this yr. After the offseason acquisitions, the crew is favored to characterize the Western Convention within the NBA Finals. An MVP candidate, rising stars, elite function gamers and top-notch defenders are the proper recipe for fulfillment — and Oklahoma Metropolis ticks all of the bins.

One of the vital underrated items on the crew at this level seems to be Lu Dortsomebody who has been a key piece for the reason that starting of the rebuild. Dort has been mentioned in commerce hypothesis and his recreation has been dissected over the previous few seasons, however he has at all times been in it for the lengthy haul. There’s a purpose why Thunder administration paid him early to lock him up for the foreseeable future. He has performed sufficient to earn his payday and his play has rewarded the Thunder’s imaginative and prescient.

Dort is getting into the third yr of his five-year contract with the Thunder and it seems he’s simply starting to good his function. Final season was an ideal instance of Dort’s progress as a participant and the way he can assist the crew transferring ahead. He reduce down on his quantity and had career-high percentages throughout the board. Dort averaged 10.9 factors on 43.8 p.c capturing and 39.4 p.c from three-point vary. His sudden soar shot from the skin helped the Thunder rank among the many greatest offenses within the NBA.

Was his capturing efficiency final season his peak as a flamethrower within the NBA? It’s a good query to ask. His 39.4% three-point capturing common is clearly an outlier in comparison with the remainder of his profession. His second-highest outdoors capturing proportion of the season was 34.3% in 2020.

Whereas this will seem to be a transparent spike, Dort is actually taking higher pictures now. He would not have to do as a lot within the Thunder’s offense, and there is extra expertise round him than ever earlier than. He purchased into the crew’s mentality final yr and let the sport come to him.

Dort might have one other gear with an offseason of enchancment, however with the info we have now, it looks like 39.4% from three-point vary might be his peak as an outdoor shooter. And that is completely nice for the Thunder. The crew has a handful of elite three-point shooters, all Dort needed to do was take environment friendly pictures and hover round that 36% mark from lengthy vary.

If he could make three-pointers from the open corners and get scorching once in a while, he is doing his half. His protection will at all times be the explanation he will get paid a lot, and his 39.4 p.c from lengthy vary was simply the cherry on high.

Though final season was his greatest capturing season, the Thunder will proceed to thrive with him on the courtroom. He will not be a 40 p.c 3-point shooter, however he has improved a lot that opposing groups must respect his outdoors capturing — and that is all that issues. He might be an enormous a part of the Thunder’s success subsequent season and past.

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