"I don’t play for that. I want to win. ": Thunder’s Lu Dort is unbothered with defensive accolades, but backs SGA for MVP (EXCLUSIVE)

Initially, Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault expressed disinterest in advocating for forward Lu Dort to win this season’s Defensive Player of the Year.

“The fact that he hasn’t made a team yet. Come on guys,” Daigneault chided the media that vote for the awards. “But I’m not into the pitches. I’m really not. At the end of the day, you go out there and compete and do the best you can and let that speak for itself.”

The Thunder (60-12) enter Thursday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies (44-28) ranked second in the NBA in points allowed per game (106.9), first in defensive field-goal percentage (43.5%) and first in steals per game (10.5). Meanwhile, the 6-foot-4, 220 pound Dort has limited opposing team’s top players this season, including Anthony Edwards (6-for-16), Kyrie Irving (7-for-22), Jayson Tatum (3-for-10) and Donovan Mitchell (3-for-13).

“What makes him special is the physical gifts,” Daigneault said. “He’s low to the ground. He’s incredibly strong. He can move well side to side. So he’s got that. And then he’s got this relentlessness and spirit to him that he takes a lot of punches. He gets illegally screened. Guys have big nights against him. Or they make tough shots on him. None of that stuff ever impacts his motor, his effort or that spirit on that end of the floor. He’s just got a really unique mindset to go with great physical tools. And he’s made it a habit to be the best perimeter defender in the league.”

As much as Dort studies team’s opposing players through game footage and detailed notes that he updates on his iPad after every game, those same teams prioritize Dort on their scouting report.

LA Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said that Dort masters a responsibility that he and his staff has called “Gladiator” that will involve a certain defensive approach on either Kawhi Leonard or James Harden.

“He locks into his matchup,” Lue said of Dort. “A lot of teams when you have great defenders, you’ll run a little action to get him off of him and now you got who you want on him so you can run your play. But if he’s guarding Kawhi, he’s guarding Kawhi. There’s no switching.”

No wonder Daigneault mused, “If the voters for Defensive teams had to be guarded by Lu Dort, they would’ve already voted for him.”

Five NBA seasons later, Dort has still waited for an inclusion on either an All-Defensive First Team or Second team.

“That carrot has been restrained from him. But it hasn’t really changed the way he’s operated or played,” Daigneault said. “He’s still the same, humble, down to Earth and blue-collar guy. I really respect that because obviously he would like that honor.”

Dort spoke to Sportskeeda about his defensive approach and his outlook on if he’ll make an All-Defensive team. Dort also made his case for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to win regular-season MVP and offered his rebuttal to Draymond Green taking issue with the team’s post-game walk-off interviews.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one interview has been edited and condensed.

How do you evaluate your defense so far this season?

Dort: “Honestly, I feel like I’m bringing the same type of defense every year. I don’t really look at the numbers and stuff like that. So I can’t really tell you numbers. But honestly, I feel like every year is one of my best years for me. I’m always out there competing. I’m taking a lot of pride on that side of the floor.”

What goes into your consistency every season?

Dort: “This is what I bring to the team and this is what I bring to the table. This is how I make my name and how I’m able to take care of my family. So I can never shy away from that. I know what I bring to the table. I know what my team needs me to do. So every time that I’m out there, that is my mentality.”

When you’ve talked with me and others in different interviews, you’ve talked about the notes you take on your iPad. Can you share what you’re putting in the notes?

Dort: “At this point now, I’ve played against a lot of the top guys in the NBA. So I already have them in my notes. Some of the guys are aging a little bit, and changing their style of games. So any time I can add something to somebody’s name, I will add to it. It helps me. I’m a big fan of the game. So it’s nice to remind myself doing that to help me.”

So it sounds like you want to keep each player profile secret for your own information?

Dort: “Yeah, yeah yeah. Maybe one day when I’m done playing, I’ll share it to the world.”

Well how about generally, what are the notes that you’re tracking for each player?

Dort: “I try to find what moves they went to the most in that game. If it’s something that they added to their game or they tried against me, I will add it. Those are some of the little stuff. Sometimes I may not add anything. But if they are the ones that adjusted their game against me, that’s when I’ll go back and add it the list.”

Here's your tracking defensive matchups this season: Anthony Edwards: 6-for-16, Kyrie Irving: 7-for-22, Jayson Tatum: 3-for-10, Donovan Mitchell: 3-for-13 What did you to hold them to those numbers?

Dort: “With guys like that, except Kyrie, they’re tall and physical guards that use their bodies a lot. That’s the physical side that I can really compete at and hold on my ground on those type of guys. I feel like that is an advantage that I have on my side with the size that I have, being able to move my feet and use my strength at the same time. Kyrie is a crafty guard, so you have to chase him and make everything tough on him.”

T-Lue said that you’re a guy that doesn’t really switch on your defensive assignments and want to take on the challenge. How do you stay through that?

Dort: “We will switch sometimes. We have good defenders on our team. But when it comes at the end and they’re trying to match up on whoever, I will do everything I can do to stay on my own guy. I know I can disturb a whole offense. If I can stay on my guy, that’s going to be an advantage for my team.”

He meant more when you have a personal assignment.

Dort: “Yeah, that’s my mentality. Every time I have a personal assignment, I will try to stay on him the whole game. My assignment will probably be the best player on the other team. So if I know I can do a good job on that opponent, that will give us our best chance to win the game.”

Mark says you often get illegal screens when you’re taking on those matchups. How do you deal with that?

Dort: “If they set an illegal screen every time, they’re not going to call it every time. There have been a couple of times that they call it. But you just have to play through it. I know them as a defender. I know they’re trying to get me off their best players’ body. So if I wasn’t big, I would probably do the same thing. But I just have to fight through it and not really pay attention to it. I can’t expect anything from the refs. I’m just going to go do my job.”

You’re strong, but what else goes into fighting through those?

Dort: “I got good feet. I move my feet really well. I watch film on the bigs as well. So I know what type of guy is screening me as well. So I’m able to maneuver and go over or go under. It’s really about reading the defense.”

What’s your pitch on why this should be the year you get on an All-Defensive team or maybe even DPOY?

Dort: “Honestly, I feel like in the past couple of years, they were saying that we weren’t good enough. I understand that we weren’t the best team. But now that we are who we are and I feel like I always have the best assignment and the hardest assignment. I feel like I’m doing a pretty good job, so hopefully it happens. But honestly, I don’t play for that. I want to win. And I want to do everything I can to look good for my teammates. But it’s always good to get rewarded for that. So if my name is up there, I’ll be good.”

Mark observed that as much as you’d like to win the award, that you don’t approach your game any differently because you haven’t made that list yet. Why are you able to think that way?

Dort: “Because I’ve been doing that every year. To get some kind of recognition, it’s good, yes. But that’s what I’ve been doing for the past five seasons. It’s not new to me. It’s probably new to the world. But it’s not new to me.”

There’s so many great wing defenders on this team with yourself, [Alex] Caruso, Jaylen [Williams], [Cason] Wallace. In what ways do you complement each other?

Dort: “We have each other’s backs. We have a lot of trust in one another. When someone else is on an island, we know that he’s got it. But whenever they’re trying to find a matchup or get somebody in foul trouble, we know that they’re smart enough to play solid defense and not get a foul. It’s the chemistry and the trust that we’ve built this whole season.”

What’s gone into your strong 3-point shooting this season? [39.9%]

Dort: “Reps, watching a lot of film and seeing how teams are guarding us. We have superstar talent like Shai, Dub and Chet [Holmgren]. So all of the attention is more on them. Whenever they collapse and send so many guys on them, we have to be able to knock down the shot. I’ve been taking a lot of reps, and I see the shots that I get in a game. So I just have to shoot it with confidence.

I’ve played a lot of basketball. Growing up, I wasn’t this big defender. I was actually a scorer. So I always have this in my blood. So whenever it’s time for me to hit a big shot, I’ll hit a big shot. I’ll be ready.”

Why do you think Shai has the edge over [Nikola] Jokic for MVP?

Dort: “Like I said before, they’ve been saying a lot of stuff about us not winning. Now we’re on top. They have been saying that for years. So now we’re actually on top, and he’s still having the season that he’s having. He should deserve it. I honestly think he deserves it with what he’s been doing. He’s been getting better every season. He’s been exceeding expectations and is always above that. Personally as a teammate and a brother, I personally think this will be the year for him to get it.”

In what ways does he look better to you this season?

Dort: “Leadership and he’s more poised. He doesn’t flinch. Teams have been sending so many types of defenses at him, and he’s always been able to succeed through that. That’s what’s amazing. Getting 30 points a game is not easy at all. And he’s doing it in so many different ways. That’s so amazing to see.”

What lessons do you take away from last season’s playoff run that ended in the second round to Dallas?

Dort: “Not to get happy or satisfied. We can’t let the success distract us. We know that we still have a big job to do. I feel like the postseason is a whole different season. It has nothing to do with the regular season. So to really go out there with a different mindset that we can’t play with any mistakes. We have to be on our A1. We’re not satisfied with what we’re doing. We want more.”

What’s your favorite part of the post-game interviews with [Thunder sideline reporter] Nick Gallo?

Dort: “What they did last game when they put Jaylen Williams’ jersey on him, that was probably one of the funniest ones so far. He didn’t flinch. He was doing his interview staying professional. I always say Nick always stays professional. It’s really funny. It shows how much fun we have together. At the end of the day, we have a job to do. But at the same time, we have to have fun. We’ve been having fun the whole season.”

What do you think of Draymond [Green] saying that’s a red flag about your team’s seriousness?

Dort: “Draymond’s gotta worry about what’s going on over there. We’re going to worry about what’s going on here.”

Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.