The Atlanta Hawks have changed a lot in the last year, pivoting from a Trae Young-led group to building around Jalen Johnson. Their latest trade was a deal to acquire Lu Dort from the Oklahoma City Thunder. And according to a Hawks front office executive who spoke with Spotrac’s Keith Smith at Summer League, they’re excited about what Dort’s addition can do for guys like Dyson Daniels and Nickeil-Alexander Walker.
“Beyond excited to have him in. His defense is going to be huge for us,” an exec told Smith at Summer League. “We can put him on anyone. And now Dyson (Daniels) and Nickeil (Alexander-Walker) can roam a bit more. We’ll have some fun deploying those guys together in lineups too.”
Having Dort will allow the Hawks to utilize him as a primarily on-ball defender, freeing up some of their other guys to roam and make plays off the ball.
Hawks are excited for Lu Dort to allow Dyson Daniels to play off the ball
Dort is one of the best on-ball defenders in the league. He has been for years. If it were up to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and money wasn’t involved, they probably would have kept him.
Unfortunately, the Thunder were pressed up against the second apron, and they had to make some cuts if they wanted to duck under. In a string of salary-shedding moves, they dumped Dort, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins.
But OKC’s loss is Atlanta’s gain. Now, they get to deploy Dort in their lineup as an elite on-ball defender, part of a very defensive-minded group from one through five.
For Daniels, in particular, this is great news. Daniels is also an elite on-ball perimeter defender, and he will undoubtedly continue to play that role for the Hawks at times.
However, he’s such a disruptive defender that using him off the ball will be extremely beneficial for the Hawks. And now, with a guy like Dort on the roster, they can afford to do that without losing much on the ball.
Daniels’ ability to seek out steals and muck up plays from off the ball will be a nightmare for opposing teams. Imagine having to try to play against Dort on the ball, and then Daniels is just waiting for you off to the side.
NAW can play a similar role. He’s great at finding steal opportunities and fighting away from the play. Both he and Daniels will benefit greatly from Dort’s presence in the lineup.
And the Hawks are thrilled about it.
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