Blazers' Damian Lillard Explains Why He Sees Thunder's Lu Dort as NBA's Best Defender

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in the thick of the race for a spot in the NBA play-in tournament, and shooting guard Luguentz Dort is a key reason for the team's turnaround.

Dort has established himself as one of the best defenders in the league, earning the respect of some of the top scorers in the game. According to The Athletic's Jason Quick, Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard didn't hesitate to declare Dort the best defender in the game.

"I think he has the perfect balance of strength, quickness, speed and desire to do it," Lillard said. "And he's young. So I just think he is the best at it."

The 23-year-old has made a habit out of shutting down some of the league's most feared players. Dort had a signature moment last Tuesday when he locked down Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard in the final seconds of an Oklahoma City win:

"It's like he is a wall on wheels," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault told Quick. "You are not turning the corner on him. The Leonard play the other night—we've seen that countless times in game flow, where it's like: 'You are not going anywhere.' It's incredible."

Dort has steadily improved since entering the league as an undrafted free agent out of Arizona State in 2019 and signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract in July.

Oklahoma City has missed the playoffs in each of the last two years, finishing 22-50 and 24-58, but Dort and the Thunder (37-39) are now in 10th place in the Western Conference. They will next be in action Wednesday night against the Detroit Pistons (16-59).