Arizona State basketball: Is Luguentz Dort the next James Harden?

The Sun Devils will have a glaring hole on the perimeter next season with three seniors leaving. Getting a top 30 player like Luguentz Dort will definitely soften that blow.

Luguentz Dort, a combo guard from Ontario Canada, is a four-star prospect and is considered a top three shooting guard, per 247 Sports. This was a big coup for Arizona State, who beat out Oregon and Baylor for his future signature on signing day.

Dort, at 6’4 200 pounds already has the physical traits as well as the skills to make an immediate impact next year. Offensively, he has a great shooting stroke and a slashing ability to split opposing defenses wide open.

What may make fans of Arizona State excited the most is that scouts who’ve covered him not only believe his offensive game translates easily to D1 basketball but that his defense could be just as good as his offense. That’s welcome news for a program who finished in the bottom 10% of all of college basketball in several key defensive categories.

With the upcoming graduations for Tra Holder, Kodi Justice, and Shannon Evans, a new set of guards will be needed right away. That spot was supposed to be for Sam Cunliffe, a former top 50 player himself. That was until he unexpectedly transferred to Kansas midseason last year, where around December he’ll be eligible to play.

Dort joins another 2018 guard commit Elias Valtonen, a 6’6 guard from Finland. They won’t be the only players ready for 2018, as frontcourt transfers Zylan Cheatham and Carlton Bragg will eligible to play after sitting out this season.

Next: Top center for 2018 down to two schools

While there may be some veterans on this year’s team, their overall ceiling is relatively low. That changes next season with the combination of good transfers on the post and now the highest rated player to come to Arizona State since James Harden. It might be sooner than later Hurley and the Sun Devils make their climb up the PAC-12 ladder.