The Oklahoma City Thunder are continuing to surprise folks this season. After a rough 1-6 stretch in late November, the team has bounced back in a major way by winning its last three, one of those wins even coming without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder's undisputed best player. At 11-13, Oklahoma City is still in the playoff hunt, only two games back of the eighth seed in the West.
However, the Thunder have a not-so-easy stretch of games ahead of them. Their next three games, all on the road, are against the Grizzlies, Mavericks, and Cavaliers. And what's going to make this stretch even more challenging is that one of Oklahoma City's best players is out due to injury.
Per DK Nation, wing Lu Dort has been ruled out of Wednesday night's game against the Grizzlies with a left knee contusion.
Lu Dort, 23, is in his fourth year in the NBA, all with the Thunder. He's averaging 14.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.4 blocks across 24 appearances this season. Interestingly, Dort has been a force on the offensive glass for the Thunder, as he's corralling 1.6 offensive rebounds per game, by far a career-best.
While Dort's offensive game has grown leaps and bounds since he entered the league, the Thunder will miss him most for his defense, especially over the next few games (assuming he sits out more than one). Dort is the best wing defender that the Thunder have to contain players like Ja Morant, Donovan Mitchell, and Luka Doncic, all of whom are some of the most dynamic offensive players in basketball.
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