Q. What do you feel like this team could be defensively, and what areas do you think could be even better this year?
LUGUENTZ DORT: Yeah, I feel like it's going to be pretty good. You know, we had some good guys, and they had success in the past. I'm really looking forward to get on the court with them, learn, and go out and compete. I'm really excited.
Q. (Indiscernible) what did you see from him and what did the Olympics maybe do for him?
LUGUENTZ DORT: You mean for me or for Shai?
Q. For Shai.
LUGUENTZ DORT: It was good. It was good to be out there to experience that. As the whole team, I felt like we had a great run. We had the intention to go out there and compete. Shai was doing the main thing, all the stuff he is always doing on the court. To share the court with him representing our country, I feel like we all did our part on representing our country well. It was a great experience for both of us.
Q. I know you were in the gym together. I know you were at each other's camps. Different guys were saying Alex and Isaiah are saying that Shai was the first to text them. What level of responsibility have you seen Shai take in corralling the team, bringing that chemistry together?
LUGUENTZ DORT: Yeah, his leadership has been getting better every year. You know, just how he really brings the team together whenever he has time to bring the team together and stuff. Just outside of all the stuff that we are doing here in the city.
Like I said, every year he has been getting better. Then that's what we want from him.
Q. What do you feel like you guys defensively -- (indiscernible) defenders at the position in the league (indiscernible)?
LUGUENTZ DORT: Maybe just go out there and compete. Our identity is that we play hard, and we just added some pretty good defenders as well. We'll have the same approach, is to really go out there and compete and play hard.
I feel like from what they've been doing, they fit in easy with us.
Q. What do you think about Hartenstein's game, how he fits in? Shai mentioned playing with him in Nike Hoop Summit in 2017. You were on that team too. Do you have memories from that?
LUGUENTZ DORT: I have memories from that, yeah. He keeps saying that every time. At that time I wasn't really talking that much. Apparently he said something to me, and I didn't respond, but no, I have some good memories.
He's a physical guy. He plays really hard. Then, I know, that's just his game, and that's some stuff that we can easily add up to our culture.
I'm really excited to go play with him again, and I know he's excited on his side.
Q. How beneficial is it as a guy that is a clear defensive stopper to have somebody else embrace that kind of role as well and switch off or depending on the matchup, that kind of a thing, where it's not, like, one dude has that role all the time?
LUGUENTZ DORT: Yeah. I mean, it's always good. I feel like all that comes from the trust from the team and trust of each other. You know, just being able to communicate and stuff like that.
Now, we have a lot of good on-ball defenders, and that comes from communicating, and those kind of come with practice. We get in the gym together and work on that to be able to do it in the games. All that comes from trust and communicating. I'm excited to go out there with those guys.
Q. Last year you took some strides. You mentioned you wanted to take better shots. What's the next level for you this season offensively?
LUGUENTZ DORT: Really the same. Just taking my time in the game and see what the game gives me. Just not force. Let the game come to me. That comes from the trust of my teammates and the coaches.
You know, we have a lot of talent defensively, so really just be at the right position at the right time and let the ball find me and just make the right play.
Q. What do you think the toughest transition will be for this team (indiscernible)?
LUGUENTZ DORT: I don't think there's -- I don't think it's anything tough from that. We just have to take it day by day and be patient and work on our stuff. If we work hard on our stuff on our end, we'll see what we do when we get there.
Yeah, our main focus, really what we have within the team and what we are doing in our building to prepare for those type of games, but all that comes from the work that we're doing together.
Q. I imagine you want to take another step in that area. What does it look like in the offseason working on improving finishing at the rim?
LUGUENTZ DORT: Be in the gym and work on it, honestly. Just spend a lot of time. Most of the time that I had this offseason to be in the gym and to work on my game. Obviously it was something that I still need to get better at, and I'm aware of that, so I'm just in the gym with my trainer most of the time and really work on it.
Q. When you are getting better, you're starting to see the fruits of your labor, is a really fun time for players. It's a fun time for fans. It was evidenced last year by you seeing you guys post game. It was just fun. It was fun to be that team that was on the rise. There are expectations. By the way, there are expectations. How important is it for you guys to just really maintain that fun attitude that you had last season?
LUGUENTZ DORT: It's really important. Just the fact that we play a game that we love every day, and there's a lot of fun that comes with that. We built a nice little culture here, and our chemistry has been really well where we really are going out there to have fun. Our main focus is always to have fun whenever we play basketball.
So I don't think this is something that's going to go away. Just the fact that we cheer on each other. We like seeing the other person doing well. That won't go away from anything.
We still have to go out there, and the number one thing is to always have fun.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports