Q. (Indiscernible).
LU DORT: I mean, I want to play. It is what it is. I just feel like now we're all here and ready to go.
Q. It feels like each year you come back and there's something that you've improved on from the previous season. Is there anything that you were focusing on in your game this season or did you just try to round everything out?
LU DORT: I kind of focused on my whole game. One of the things I feel like I had to improve on is my decision making going to the rim. I felt like that's one of the things I focused on this off-season, and now I'm just ready to come by (indiscernible), just being able to fit in and help my teammates.
Q. Can you just think about going from your rookie year and just how you've really had to grind to prove yourself and now where you see your role on the team this year moving forward?
LU DORT: Yeah, just looking back I feel like I came a long way, and my role to this team was not easy, but just really the main thing is obviously to get better and then to fit and help my teammates.
I feel like (indiscernible) I can have a bigger role, just being a little more vocal. Just the fact that I went through some of the stuff that the young guys are going through right now, I feel like I can help them and talk to them and all that.
But at the end of the day I just feel like I'm ready to help this team be better and really help some of the guys.
Q. Obviously Chet won't play this year, but well known to be a defensive-minded big man. What have you seen out of him in that regard? What's your level of excitement to play with this guy?
LU DORT: Yeah, we all know what Chet does. He's really big on protecting the rim, and that's one of the reasons we have him here with us.
I mean, (indiscernible) and I just can't wait to get on the court with him when he's ready.
Q. Did you have any summer overlap with him? Or did your injury hold you back?
LU DORT: Yeah, my injury kind of held me back and I couldn't get in the gym with him, but I'm looking forward to it now. I just can't wait until he's healthy.
Q. It honestly looks like Chet is going to be an important part of this team in the future. How do you build a relationship with him, start to connect with him when he's not on the floor?
LU DORT: Just spend some time. He's a great guy. I can already feel a connection with me and the rest of the team. He's a pretty vocal guy, too. He talks a lot, and that's good for the team.
Being a young guy, he's coming into this league, so I feel like to spend some time with him, he's still with us the whole season, so we'll be able to stay connected.
Q. You talked about one of the things you worked on last season, you got better at decision making and getting to the rim. You get beat up when you go in there. How does one actually prepare yourself -- do you play pickup games with your guys, or is there somebody on the team in particular who drills against you who will beat on you? What's the process of just getting better at taking contact and finishing?
LU DORT: I guess not being scared of that contact and being hit. I feel like that's been my game for the whole time I've been playing. I've just been a physical guard. I'm kind of used to being hit and all that.
I mean, during the off-season you just get some guys that's willing to do it, so you get better at it. That's what I did. I feel like I've been doing a good job of that, so I just can't wait to play this season.
Q. What was one thing this off-season that was most enjoyable for you outside of basketball?
LU DORT: I mean, I spend most of my time back home in Canada, Montreal. Just great to be back around my family. I don't get to go home that often, and the fact that I was able to stay home and I had a great setup there to do my rehab and just the fact that I got to spend a lot of time with (indiscernible).
Q. I don't know if you know this, but Ben McNabb said you're the guy he wants to play the most. He talked about how you guys played each other during his draft process. What is it like to have a guy like that that's looking forward to playing you from the same area you're from?
LU DORT: Me and Ben played in the same program growing up, and I was just an older guy that him and his team used to come to our games and had watched us older guys play, and then to just see him, how he grew and what type of player he is now and how his confidence is really big, I love to see it.
I mean, I can't wait myself to play him because I know how big it's going to be for us and for our culture and our city.
I'm just looking forward to that, too. He's a great competitor, and he's a great kid, too.
Q. You've been around three years now. You took the game-deciding shot in Game 7, then you have two frustrating years with lots of losing. How do you handle the frustration knowing what it's like to be in a big time playoff game but then going two years without it and not knowing what the future holds?
LU DORT: I feel like we just keep going and building. I feel like we just keep getting better and we want to learn. We're still kind of a young team and we know where we want to get, and I feel like we've just got to take this day by day and keep trusting each other and keep trusting in this process and the stuff that we're doing right now. I can't wait to see what's next.
Q. Any of the rookies that you've kind of taken under wing or you're really excited to work with?
LU DORT: I've been talking to all of them. Ousmane is one guy that's been friends (indiscernible) just got to connect with him pretty well and he's one of the youngest, too.
I don't want to say take under my wing, but I just feel like I've been talking to all of them and trying to spend some time to get to know them this off-season.
Q. In terms of the end of last season to now, how do you feel about the things that you need to work on? How much better do you feel about those things?
LU DORT: I'm always confident going into every season, and I'm just truly happy to be back and also can't wait to play (indiscernible). It's been so long. Yeah, I'm just really happy to be here and get going.
Q. Did you do any jiu-jitsu this summer?
LU DORT: No, I couldn't do any jiu-jitsu because of my injury, but I played tennis, stuck with the soccer, too. But I couldn't do the boxing.
Q. But you were able to do tennis?
LU DORT: Yeah.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports