Following a productive freshman season at Arizona State University, Canadian guard Luguentz Dort is going the one-and-done route and entering this year’s NBA Draft.
The road to the 2019 NBA Draft wasn’t always smoothly paved for one-and-done Arizona State guard Luguentz Dort.
The son of Haitian immigrants, Dort spent the bulk of his childhood growing up in Montreal, Quebec, where his primary sporting interest was soccer initially. After several years playing between the pipes, Dort came to basketball and immediately embraced the game that was tailor-made for his many athletic gifts.
More from Bucks Draft
- Grading Milwaukee Bucks 2022 Draft Picks Beauchamp and Besson
- Milwaukee Bucks: 5 options for No. 17 pick in 2017 NBA redraft
- Milwaukee Bucks: 5 options for No. 10 selection in 2016 NBA redraft
- Milwaukee Bucks: 5 options for No. 17 selection in 2015 NBA redraft
- Milwaukee Bucks: 5 options for No. 2 selection in the 2014 NBA redraft
Reflecting on his mentality when trying to find his footing in basketball in talking to The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie early in his freshman campaign, Dort’s competitive fire burned brightest on the defensive end where it still stands as a tentpole in his skill set:
"“Even if you are an average player, if you are able to guard somebody and play defense, it’ll open up your options,” Dort said. “One time, I was in a camp and they didn’t know about me. I was like, ‘All right, I’m going to show them how I play defense on the ball so they give me the chance to play, and then I’ll show them I can play on offense.’ “I started picking up men full-court, and coaches started to get more confidence in me, and that’s how they let me play. It was a way for me to get opportunities on offense. I’m fast enough, and athletic enough, and know how to move my feet well. Oh, and I like getting steals and going to the rim and dunk the ball. It’s something I really took pride in.”"
Eventually, Dort’s development in the amateur ranks and strong showings in the BioSteel All-Canadian Game, where he was named MVP in both 2017 and 2018, led to him locking down a scholarship to Arizona State University by head coach Bobby Hurley.
In his 34 appearances with the Sun Devils this season, Dort averaged 16.1 points on .405/.307/.700 shooting splits, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals across 31.5 minutes per contest. Along with that, Dort was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year as well as second team All Pac-12 following the end of the Sun Devils’ 23-11 campaign.
So without further ado, let’s dive deep into Luguentz Dort’s game, starting with his strengths, weaknesses, learn how draft experts evaluate him less than a week from the draft and explore his potential fit with the Milwaukee Bucks.