Luguentz Dort and Darius Bazley are going to be somewhat linked for their entire stay with the Thunder organization.
This year, the microscope was honed in on the duo as they were pegged as part of the future core before the season.
Dort certainly lived up to that billing in 2020-21, as he continued his high level of play on the defensive end while also flashing the potential to be a legitimate scoring threat on any given night in the NBA.
The Canadian captured the imagination of Thunder fans over a seven game stretch where he scored 15 points or more per game, including a 42 point explosion against Utah, a 26 point scoring night against Detroit and a 29 point game against Toronto in three consecutive contests.
Thunder End of The Year Report Card: Theo Maledon
InsideTheThunder.com continues its end of season grades, next evaluating Oklahoma City s surprising rookie Theo Maledon.
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Thunder rookie Theo Maledon was full of surprises in his debut season.
At 19-year-old, Maledon was one of the youngest players in the league, but played with veteran-like poise. The French product was a bit of a mystery pre-draft, having professional experience and being heralded by Spurs legend Tony Parker.
Here is SI Thunder s end of season grades for Maledon:
Ryan Chapman s Grade: B+
Coming in as the No. 34-overall pick, even Theo Maledon probably didn’t expect how much playing time he would truly get in his rookie season.
Oklahoma City Thunder Awards for the 2020-21 Season
Handing out the awards for the Oklahoma City Thunder s Season
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May 24, 2021
With the members of the Oklahoma City Thunder out of contention for the NBA awards, the InsideTheThunder.com staff handed out the Most Improved Player, Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and the Most Valuable Player for OKC.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort dazzled for the Thunder this season, but only one could capture the award of Most Improved Player. Ty Jerome and
Kenrich Williams rose above the rest.
Arriving with little expectation, both players were key cogs in the Thunder bench, and may have carved out a role in Oklahoma City for years to come.