With his Houston Rockets trailing by one against the Oklahoma City Thunder, John Wall got by his defender and looked to be en route for a potentially game-winning layup.
Unfortunately for Wall, that defender was Luguentz Dort, and while it was impressive enough that he beat him off the dribble, that doesn’t mean the play was over.
To whit:
This is just an unreal play from Dort. pic.twitter.com/HlQnSKLo4b
— Mo Dakhil (@MoDakhil_NBA) March 21, 2021
It’s rare to see a play that looks that good from every possible angle. From the broadcast angle, you get the speed and surprise element.
From the side, you get how Dort closes space. From underneath angle, you get how Wall pretty reasonably thinks he has a clear path to the basket, only for Dort to be hanging above him out of nowhere. And then, the reverse angle, you just see Dort seemingly swallow Wall from behind, and you also get the sense of just how much height and extension he gets on the play.
What an impossible play to make without fouling either up top or with the body. Dort still has a lot of work to do on offense, but he’s such a game-changer on defense that he’s obviously going to have an impactful career. Jaw-dropping defensive highlights are rarer but this one absolutely counts.
