Our own Orangeville Prep alum, Luguentz “Lu” Dort, has secured a spot on this year’s NBA All-Defensive First Team! Lu has been the head of the monster on the defensive-end for the Oklahoma City Thunder, helping them to a 64-18 record and a league-best 106.6 defensive rating. Now, Oklahoma City is steamrolling their way through the playoff landscape, with a 2-1 series lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA Western Conference Finals. The Thunder are currently betting favourites to take home this year’s Larry O’Brien Trophy, which would make it the 3rd-consecutive year an Orangeville Prep alum has one an NBA title (the previous being Oshae Brissett in 2024 with the Boston Celtics, and Jamal Murray in 2023 with the Denver Nuggets).

NBA All-Defensive Teams

The NBA All-Defensive Teams are a collection of the top-ten defensive players in the NBA in a given season, divided up into two teams (First Team & Second Team), which are voted upon by a select group of NBA media personnel. These teams are position-less, meaning they are not bound to specific on-court positions.

Recipients of this year’s awards:

NBA All-Defensive First Team

Dyson Daniels (Atlants Hawks)
Lu Dort (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Amen Thompson (Houston Rockets)
Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors)
Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers)

NBA All-Defensive Second Team

Toumani Camara (Portland Trailblazers)
Jalen Williams (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Ivica Zubac (Los Angeles Clippers)
Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies)
Rudy Gobert (Minnesota Timberwolves)

The Dorture Chamber

Nicknamed the “Dorture Chamber”, Dort is widely known for his intense on-ball defence. He has been known to be one of the league’s toughest perimeter defenders, averaging 1.1 SPG, and holding his matchups to a pitiful 42% from the field, and 32% from 3-PT range, both well-below league averages.

His stocky-build paired with his elite defensive ability and intense ball-pressure makes him one of the most feared defenders in the game. He is often tasked with taking on the opposing team’s best player, and has shown off his defensive value in this year’s playoffs, holding opposing stars to sub-par numbers:

Dort's Matchup	Playoff Stats vs. OKC	Regular Season Stats
Ja Morant (MEM)	18.3 PPG	23.2 PPG
Michael Porter Jr. (DEN)	9.1 PPG	18.2 PPG
Anthony Edwards (MIN)	22.3 PPG	27.6 PPG

Just One Bolt in a Thunderstorm

OKC had a historical defensive season, breaking countless defensive records in pursuit of their league-best record of 64-18. This season, OKC became the first team in NBA history to hold their opponent to under 80 points in a game on three separate occasions. They were the only team this season to have multiple All-Defensive Team selections (Lu Dort & Jalen Williams). They also had multiple other players receive votes but not be selected, those being sophomore, Cason Wallace; as well as their superstar and 2025 MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. This is not to mention their other defensive stars in Chet Holmgren, Isiah Hartenstein, and Alex Caruso, who all could have also been in the running for the honours had it not been for the league’s 65-game minimum for award eligibility.

It is without a doubt that this OKC team is a defensive juggernaut, and will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. The scariest part is the Thunder’s average age is a mere 24.1 years, only 0.6 higher than the league-leading San Antonio Spurs (23.5). Teams should be worried, as Oklahoma City is only six wins away from their first NBA title, and if they keep this up, more will be on the way.

From Orangeville to Oklahoma

Lu was signed in 2018 as an undrafted free-agent by the Thunder, and is widely-known as one of the greatest undrafted success stories in NBA history. Before wreaking havoc in the NBA, Lu Dort was a breakout star here at Orangeville Prep. Originally from Montreal, Quebec, Dort was a highly-scouted prospect known for his elite athleticism and high-motor, placing him as the #3 shooting guard and #24 overall prospect in ESPN’s Top 100 Prospects rankings.

This elite level of high-school play got him invited to the prestigious All Canadian Games, where he secured the MVP award. Along with this he had also been invited to many other prestigious events such as Basketball Without Borders (where he also was named MVP), along with Nike Hoop Summit, Adidas Nations, and Adidas Eurocamp.

This elite level of play gave Lu countless NCAA D1 offers from powerhouse schools such as Baylor, Connecticut, Florida, Louisville, Michigan State, Missouri, North Carolina St., Oregon, Pittsburgh, St. John’s, Texas Tech, UNLV, and West Virginia.

This is just one of many success stories to come out of Athlete Institute and the Orangeville Prep Academy. Lu attended both Orangeville Prep Academy and Orangeville Prep Summer Camp during his tenure here, and we are very proud to be able to call him one of our own!

You Could be Next!

Want to lock-down like Lu Dort, shoot like Jamal Murray, and dunk like Thon Maker? Orangeville Prep Summer Camp at Athlete Institute is the place for you. We have helped a plethora of young athletes work towards furthering the basketball career, both on-and-off the court. Click the buttons below to check out more info on our camps, or to register today. We’ll see you on the court!

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