WIth the Hawks securing Lu Dort as a part of the deal to send Risacher out to the Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta is looking scarier than ever on defense.
The idea of pairing Dort with the already elite point-of-attack stoppers in Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels is incredibly enticing. Unfortunately, one advanced metric threatens to halt the positive trade momentum right in its tracks.
Is Lu Dort really as negative a rotation piece as his playoff numbers suggest?
Dort's questionable on-off numbers told a scary story this playoffs
While the Thunder strolled their way through the first two rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, they were hit with a swift gut-punch of a reality check by Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, ultimately losing in seven extremely hard-fought contests.
While Dort's defense against the Suns, Lakers, and Spurs may indicate his success as a defensive monster, the numbers tell another story entirely.
With Dort off the court, the Thunder maintained their typical elite metrics, to the tune of a +14.72 net rating in 395 playoff minutes.
With Dort on the court in 335 minutes this playoffs, the Thunder achieved an atrocious net rating of -0.71. For a team with dreams of a 70-win season and back-to-back titles, that's downright blasphemous.
Contrast this to Dort's younger duplicate in OKC - Cason Wallace. While Wallace sat, the Thunder's net rating was a modest +4.72. With Wallace present, this jumped to a +10.22.
OKC's motive is clearer now - with proof that Wallace outplayed the older, more expensive Dort, why keep Lu around when he's in the way of more Wallace (or perhaps, Ajay Mitchell) minutes?
The Dort solution - place him in the Wallace role
The numbers don't tell the whole story, though. These on-off numbers are skewed by Dort's and Wallace's respective competitions - while Wallace did start a handful of playoff games, his minutes were predominantly against opposing benches.
Dort's starting-caliber minutes being negative are a reflection of OKC's slightly sub-par starting lineup (especially against the Spurs) being buoyed by their bench, which wildly outplayed the younger, more inexperienced Spurs.
Thus, the solution for Dort to continue to feast on opposing offenses is clear as day - play Dort off the bench, just like OKC played Wallace. It's a perfect scenario for Lu, who can now support NAW and Dyson's defensive abilities, just as Wallace supported his own and Caruso's.
Onsi Saleh now has a critical decision to make - how can he secure Dort for the long haul? A nightmarish defensive trio of Dort, NAW, and Daniels must be a priority for the Hawks to secure for many seasons to come.
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