OKLAHOMA CITY, March 3, 2021 – Oklahoma City Thunder guards Luguentz Dort and Théo Maledon were named to the 2021 Rising Stars World Team, it was announced today by the NBA.
In his second season, Dort has appeared in 33 games (all starts) and averaged 12.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 29.7 minutes, while shooting 39.8 percent from the field. He leads the league with 32 offensive fouls drawn this season.
The Arizona State product has hit at least one three-pointer in 28 of his 33 appearances and leads the team with 64 threes this season. His three-point makes rank third among second-year players, while his scoring average is 12th among sophomores.
Dort knocked down the first game winner of his career in the Thunder’s 102-99 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Feb. 24. It marked the 750th buzzer beater in NBA history and the 13th for any Oklahoma City player.
Maledon has appeared in 29 games (14 starts) and averaged 7.7 points, 3.3 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.03 steals in 25.4 minutes, while shooting 39.1 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from three. His assists per game rank fourth among rookies, while his steals rank fifth.
In Oklahoma City’s 118-109 win over Atlanta on Feb. 26, Maledon tied a Thunder rookie record with 12 assists and scored 13 points for his first career double-double, and on Jan. 29 versus Brooklyn, he went 6-for-6 from beyond the arc en route to a career-high 24 points, tying both the best long-range shooting night by a rookie since the advent of the three-point line and the Thunder rookie record for the most threes in a game.
Dort and Maledon mark the 10th and 11th players in Thunder history to be named to the Rising Stars team.