Doron Lamb has returned to the Westchester Knicks with the hopes of winning a championship during the 2016-17 NBA D-League season.
Coming out of Oak Hill Academy in 2010, Doron Lamb was one of the top players at his position. After being recruited by several big-name colleges, Lamb committed to the University of Kentucky.
During his freshman season, the Wildcats won the SEC Tournament and reached the Final Four.
Lamb saw his role increase during his sophomore season, as he started nearly every game. With an increase in playing time, Lamb almost maintained his effective shooting. He shot 46.6 percent from deep in his sophomore season compared to 48.6 percent in the previous season.
The 6’4″ guard also shot 47.4 percent from the floor in his second season compared to 49.7 percent in his freshman season.
After falling to the University of Connecticut in 2011, the Wildcats rebounded the following season by winning the NCAA Tournament. After two productive seasons at Kentucky, Doron Lamb declared for the 2012 NBA Draft.
He, along with five other Wildcats, was drafted that year.
During his rookie season, Lamb spent 23 games with the Milwaukee Bucks before getting traded to the Orlando Magic. The Queens, New York native spent a season-and-a-half with the Magic.
He had some of the best games of his career during his stint in Orlando, which included a solid outing against his former team.
In his second meeting with Milwaukee during his rookie season, Lamb scored 16 points and grabbed four rebounds on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc.
After spending time with the Magic, Lamb was signed by the Dallas Mavericks and was then acquired by the Texas Legends. In the midst of his season with Texas, he was traded to his local team. Lamb was acquired by the Westchester Knicks via trade.
While Westchester didn’t find much success during their inaugural season, Lamb had one of the best games in franchise history.
Lamb totaled 40 points on 12-of-17 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range. In addition, he totaled three assists, two rebounds, and two steals in that contest.
“It’s an honor. Put a lot of hard work. That game I was just hot. I made all my shots, so everybody has nights like that,” Doron Lamb told Daily Knicks. “So somebody might beat my record, but I really don’t care. Every game I just want to go out there have fun and try to win.”
After his brief stint in Westchester, Lamb took his talents overseas to Budućnost Voli of the Adriatic League and Nanterre 92 of LNB Pro A. Even though he spent a brief time in Europe (18 games), Lamb felt he expanded his offensive ability during his time overseas.
“Just showing my scoring ability,” Lamb said. “Showing that I’m a winner and that I’m a team player and that I just want to win, so that’s what I showed.”
After his time in Europe, he returned home and rejoined the Westchester Knicks. In Westchester’s third season, the team had many talented guards. Lamb, alongside Chasson Randle, had the opportunity to be a solid backcourt.
Along with Lamb and Randle, the team has numerous guards who are efficient shooters.
With all the production the Knicks have gotten from the guard positions, Westchester’s offense has greatly improved since its inaugural season. The Knicks are No. 1 in 3-point field goal percentage (39.9 percent) and No. 12 in points per game (107.4 per game).
“Last time I was here, it was the first time having a D-League team for the Knicks. So everything wasn’t how they wanted it to be, but now they got everything on track,” Lamb said. “We have a great team now, so hopefully we just keep winning and make it to the playoffs and try to win a championship.”
Even though half the season is over, Doron Lamb has one goal in mind: to win a championship.
“Trying to win a championship,” Lamb said. “Most important part is winning. Playing defense. Just making shots for my teammates and just making my teammates better.”
The Kentucky product has had a championship mentality dating back to his days as a Wildcat. While the Knicks have been on a recent losing skid, their toughest part of their schedule is in the past.
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The team is under .500 (12-13), but nine of their next 12 games are at home. Westchester will need to capitalize on those games if they plan on making a run for the playoffs.