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OKLAHOMA CITY — After the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Detroit Pistons 119-103, Chet Holmgren explained why Lu Dort deserves recognition for this year’s Defensive Player of the Year award. In a win where Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tied Michael Jordan’s record for scoring 20+ points in 69 consecutive games offensively, Holmgren highlighted what Dort meant in the win defensively.
It’s what Lu has been doing all season long. The fourth quarter of Wednesday’s 16-point victory helped lead to a 12-0 Thunder run. Holmgren says Dort doesn’t get enough credit.
“It’s extremely impressive. A lot of times, bigs get credit for cleaning up guards’ mistakes. But a lot of the time, what we see with Lu, especially when you’re playing coverages and actions, there is no action, and you’re not in coverage because he’s blowing up all the actions, he’s getting through, he’s playing 1-on-1 out there,” Holmgren said. “He’s basically playing 1-on-2 and still staying in front of somebody, which is extremely impressive with how good the level of talent is in the NBA.”
Dort recently cracked the top-three best odds to win DPOY, per BetMGM. However, for Holmgren, it’s long overdue.
“We’ve been seeing it all year,” Holmgren added. “And it makes our job easier because then we’re kind of just standing back there watching him do his thing. He does that all night on a lot of nights against the best players, and it’s kind of ridiculous that he hasn’t gotten the recognition that he deserves for it. I think this year is definitely the year he should.”
Chet Holmgren’s DPOY take on Lu Dort:
“We've been seeing it all year… He does that all night on a lot of nights against the best players & it's kind of ridiculous that he hasn't gotten the recognition that he deserves for it. I think this year is definitely the year he should” pic.twitter.com/w9U7LVF31U
— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) April 3, 2025
Lu Dort connected on two of his four threes of the night as part of the Thunder’s 12-0 game-ending run. He finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, and one steal. Gilgeous-Alexander’s 33 points led all scorers. Jalen Williams had 23 points and five rebounds, and Chet Holmgren added 22 and 11 rebounds.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander addresses Thunder’s late-season goals
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault stressed the importance of fundamentals between now and the end of the regular season, and Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander agreed.
With six games left, Gilgeous-Alexander explained it’s a chance to improve.
“Every game is an opportunity to learn and get better,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “No matter what it looks like, we try to get those two things out of the game, whether it’s a win or a loss. I always say every game is going to look different. Every game is going to present its different challenges. It’s how we go about that.”
The Thunder will face the Rockets on Friday, and they have a chance to extend their winning streak to 12.
