When Thunder general manager Sam Presti learned that rookie Luguentz Dort was going to play rotation minutes, he thought of Brandon Miller.

“The job of those guys, the scouts, it can be a thankless job,” Presti told The Oklahoman. “It can be a job where you can put in hundreds of hours for decisions that you never have a chance to make.”

So, Presti sent Miller a text, telling him coach Billy Donovan’s plan for the undrafted rookie that Miller had lobbied for.

Miller, one of the Thunder’s senior amateur evaluation scouts, was a consistent proponent of Dort’s for the year leading up to the 2019 NBA Draft. The Thunder ended up signing Dort to a two-way contract as an undrafted free agent. Since then, he’s played 22 games with the Thunder and started the past 14. In OKC's 131-103 win against San Antonio Sunday, Dort shot 6-of-6 from the field, in addition to playing the stifling defense that earned him a rotation spot in the first place.