Damian Lillard mentions Luguentz Dort as one of the NBA's best perimeter defenders

Author Photo
Luguentz Dort and Damian Lillard

Luguentz Dort continues to receive praise from some of the league's best players.

This time, Damian Lillard had some positive words for the Montreal native.

On Friday, the Trail Blazers star held an AMA (ask me anything) on Reddit as part of a promotion for Gatorade. He received a variety of questions, one of which was who he believes are the top three perimeter defenders in the NBA at the moment.

His response? "I would say Jrue Holiday, Ben Simmons and Lu Dort. Those would be the top three for me."

NBA League Pass: Sign up to unlock live out-of-market games (7-day free trial)

Undrafted in 2019, Dort has quickly established himself as one of the league's most feared defenders. He didn't crack one of the All-Defensive Teams last season, but he received the third-most votes among guards who missed the cut, trailing only Phoenix's Mikal Bridges and Boston's Marcus Smart.

As I detailed at the time, Dort had a real case to make one of the teams. Few players take on tougher matchups than he does on a nightly basis and he has a history of getting under the skin of All-Stars like Lillard. (They call it the Dorture Chamber for a reason.)

Lillard has faced Dort four times to this point of his career. He averaged 29.3 points and 8.3 assists in those meetings, but Dort helped the Thunder limit him to 40.4 percent shooting from the field and 30.0 percent from 3-point range.

The next time Lillard and Dort are scheduled to meet is Jan. 31. They will then play against each other again on Feb. 4.

Through 21 games this season, Dort is averaging career highs of 16.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. He's also shooting a career-best 43.1 percent from the field.

The views on this page do not necessarily represent the views of the NBA or its clubs.

Author(s)
Scott Rafferty Photo

Scott Rafferty is a Senior NBA Editor for The Sporting News