New Atlanta Hawks forward Lu Dort dropped 36 spots on ESPN's top 100 NBA players list.
The Atlanta Hawks acquired Lu Dort from the Oklahoma City Thunder this offseason and the 2025 NBA champion is expected to have a big role in Atlanta this season.
Dort could be motivated to have a big 2026-27 season after getting traded and seeing where ESPN ranked him on its top 100 NBA players list.
Dort dropped 36 spots. He was ranked No. 64 last season. He's ranked No. 100 this season.
A rugged defender, Dort defended 2026 All-Stars for 1,238 matchups last season, the third most in the NBA.
For the Thunder last season, Dort appeared in 69 games. He averaged 8.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 38.5% from the field, 34.4% from beyond the arc and 75.9% from the free-throw line.
Dort, who helped the Thunder win the 2025 NBA championship against the Indiana Pacers, made the All-Defensive First Team in 2024-25.
In the 2026 playoffs, Dort averaged 5.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per game against the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs. The Thunder lost to the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals in seven games.
Dort will make $17,722,222 this season. He becomes an unrestricted free agent next offseason.
The Hawks have one of Dort's closest friends on the team: Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Both guys play for Team Canada. Having Alexander-Walker with him in a new city and on a new team will help Dort get comfortable quickly.
Atlanta also acquired Aaron Wiggins from Oklahoma City this offseason.
Dort has been in the NBA since 2019. He has career averages of 11.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game in the regular season and 8.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in the playoffs.
Atlanta lost to the New York Knicks in the first round of the 2026 playoffs, but remember, the Hawks were the only team to beat the Knicks twice in the 2026 postseason.
That shows how good the Hawks will be moving forward.
The new franchise player for the Hawks in the post-Trae Young era is Jalen Johnson, who had a great 2025-26 campaign. The forward averaged 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game while shooting 48.9% from the field, 35.2% from beyond the arc and 78.8% from the free-throw line.
Johnson recorded 49 double-doubles and 13 triple-doubles in 72 games.
How good is Johnson? Last season, he became the fifth player in league history to put up a season in which he averaged at least 22 points, 10 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game. The other four players on that list? NBA legends Wilt Chamberlain, Nikola Jokic, Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook.
