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The NBA has officially announced the three finalists for the top season awards. However, Lu Dort is officially out of contention for Defensive Player of the Year.
He strived to be just the sixth guard to win the trophy, joining the likes of Sidney Moncrief, Michael Cooper, Michael Jordan, Gary Payton and Marcus Smart.
Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels could do so instead, as he, Draymond Green and Evan Mobley lead the race to take the award home.
However, an unnamed coach believes Dort should've gotten the nod over any of them because he always embraces the challenge of guarding the opposition's best player.
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“Draymond and Evan Mobley, their teams are very good defenses, a lot because of them,” the coach said on Thursday, via The Athletic. “I just think Lu Dort individually takes the challenge on the other team’s best player, which I think from a coaching perspective is super important.”
The OKC Thunder have a myriad of elite defenders, including Dort, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Alex Caruso, but Dort is always the one staying in front and close to their opponent's leading scorer.
Despite being undersized at just 6-foot-4, what he lacks in size, he makes up for with unmatched hustle, effort and a strong build. Dort can run through screens and hold his own in the perimeter, and he also doesn't hesitate to take a big man in the post if it goes down to that.
Not many players can guard one through five. Green used to, but at 35 years old, he might not be able to hold his ground against quicker offensive players in heavy minutes.
Meanwhile, Mobley has been solid in the perimeter, but he does most of his defensive disruption in the wings and the restricted area.
The Thunder's stacked defense may have hurt Lu Dort's chances
As great a defender as Lu Dort has been all season long, the OKC Thunder have many good defensive players, and that may have affected the voters' perception.
Isaiah Hartenstein (103.6), Jalen Williams (107.3) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (107.4) lead the league in defensive rating, with Dort at No. 20 (109.9).
With so many lockdown defenders on his team, Dort may have been overlooked.
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