Why Mark Daigneault was impressed with Lu Dort's Round 1 series against Suns

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Completing another Round 1 sweep, the Oklahoma City Thunder were in full control over the Phoenix Suns. None of the four games was really competitive. By the latter stages of the second half, we knew the reigning NBA champions would cruise their way to a stress-free win.

In a playoff sweep, everybody on the winning side had an awesome series. For the Thunder, that includes Lu Dort. He made Devin Booker mostly irrelevant in this series. The Suns' NBA superstar averaged a forgettable 21.3 points and 4.8 assists.

On offense, Dort joined Alex Caruso as Thunder role players who stepped up their outside jumper in the NBA playoffs. He averaged 6.8 points and shot 36.4% from 3 on 5.5 attempts. Much better than his 34.4% from 3 on 5.4 attempt numbers in the regular season.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault was encouraged with Dort's Round 1 outing. It was a great showing after a frustrating regular season where his playing time slowly dwindled. If OKC wants to go back-to-back, it likely needs the All-Defense Team version of him — especially against the West's top perimeter scorers.

"I thought he was really good in terms of his floor game on offense. He's a guy that some teams will try to funnel the ball to. He shot the right shots. Passed the right passes. He was sound on his drives. He helped the offense function at a high level," Daigneault said. "He doesn't get as much notoriety for that side of the ball, but he's effective on that end of the floor for us."

Another Round 1 sweep, another time where the eighth seed's top scorer was a non-factor. Two years ago, it was Brandon Ingram. Last year, it was Ja Morant. Now, Booker. What's in common with all three? They were Dort's primary assignments.

"Defensively, it speaks for itself. We know what he can do to another player. He did a great job on Booker," Daigneault said. "It's a combination of his motor, his relentlessness and his willingness to just fight through the next screen and the next screen and the next screen that makes him a hard guy to go against."

We've seen Dort be an NBA playoff riser. He scored 30 points in a Game 7 loss to the Houston Rockets in 2020. He saved OKC's season last year with his scoring explosion in a Game 5 win over the Denver Nuggets. A moon-ball 3-pointer was the earliest sign that they'd win Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals over the Indiana Pacers.

And even with a subpar year, Dort can salvage it with a strong NBA playoff run. If this is truly it for his time in OKC, no better sendoff than to help the Thunder win back-to-back NBA championships.

"Even when you score on Lu, you have to really empty the tank to do it," Daigneault said. "I think that has a compounding effect over the course of the game and over the course of the series."

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Why Mark Daigneault was impressed with Lu Dort's Round 1 series against Suns

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