NBA Scout Compares Lu Dort to Deion Sanders, Calls Thunder Star 'Shutdown Cornerback'

Multiple NBA scouts heaped praise on Oklahoma City Thunder defensive ace Lu Dort this week amid OKC's dominant 64-13 season.

According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, one scout compared Dort to Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, saying: "Dort is like a shutdown cornerback. Like when Deion Sanders played he didn't have huge stats because he took guys out of the game. Dort can take top scorers out of their game."

A second scout made mention of his importance despite not being a household name, saying: "I'm not sure Lu would get recognized on the street by the average fan outside Oklahoma. But trust me, I've seen him get in the head of some All-Stars."

Much of the credit for Oklahoma City's success this season tends to go to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who are all All-Star-caliber players and former first-round picks.

Dort took the path less traveled to the NBA, as the 25-year-old Canadian went undrafted in 2019 after starring collegiately at Arizona State.

He signed with the Thunder as a free agent and almost immediately made his presence felt as a rotation player.

In his third season, Dort was among the Thunder's leading scorers with a career-high 17.2 points per game. His offensive role has diminished in three seasons since then as OKC's roster has gotten better, but he is no less important of a contributor.

Dort's stats don't exactly jump off the page this season, as he is averaging 10.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.3 three-pointers made, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

He is shooting 40.7 percent from beyond the arc, though, making him the type of 3-and-D wing that many NBA teams covet.

The Thunder are perhaps the most complete team in the NBA at both ends of the floor, which explains why they have an .831 winning percentage and hold a 13.5-game lead over the Houston Rockets for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

Unheralded players like Dort, Alex Caruso, Isaiah Hartenstein, Isaiah Joe, Kenrich Williams and a host of others do the little things that allow the stars to shine, and they all figure to be a key part of OKC's success come playoff time.