Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks selected Damyean Dotson in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft. On Friday, April 6, he showed why.
The New York Knicks have found a blessing in disguise as the end of the 2017-18 NBA regular season nears. With a startlingly high number of players battling injuries, a window of opportunity has presented itself to develop the next generation of contributors.
On Friday, April 6, rookie shooting guard Damyean Dotson made it known that he wants to be a part of the Knicks’ emerging core.
Dotson received a spike in playing time due to a series of rather unfortunate events. Not only are the Knicks far removed from the postseason discussion, but Tim Hardaway Jr. suffered a sprained ankle against the Miami Heat on April 6.
Dotson picked up where Hardaway left off—and then some—by producing what was easily the best game of his rookie season.
Dotson finished the 122-98 demolition of the rival Heat with a career-high 30 points in 36 minutes of action. He added a career-high 11 rebounds, as well as one assist, one block, and one steal in his well-rounded showing.
Dotson shot efficiently, going 12-of-21 from the field, 4-of-10 from beyond the arc, and 2-of-3 at the free throw line.
The numbers alone tell a compelling story about how brilliant Dotson was against the Heat. He buried four three-point field goals, dominated the boards, and even excelled on defense while scoring at a career-best clip.
While going off for 30 points doesn’t necessarily mean that a career will last in the NBA, it was a performance that could indicate something bigger.
Dotson may not score 30 points on a nightly basis, but there are three traits that defined his appeal on the court coming out of college. The first was his shooting, as he converted 108 three-point field goals on 44.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc during his senior season.
The other key strengths on his résumé were a combination of defensive versatility and advanced rebounding ability for a perimeter player.
Against the Heat, all three of those traits were on full display. Thus, while the statistics deserve praise and certainly jump off the page, what the performance can best be described as is a stretch during which Dotson temporarily realized his potential.
From a pure basketball perspective, that’s reason enough for the organization to continue exploring the untapped upside he possesses.
In no way does this guarantee that Dotson will be able to score 30-plus points on a consistent basis in the NBA. It doesn’t even prove that he’s a legitimate NBA player, as crazier things have happened than an individual performing beyond their abilities for just one night.
What this game firmly established, however, is that the talent level is high enough to at least believe he can be developed into a quality contributor.
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The question is: Will Damyean Dotson receive the sustained opportunity to develop alongside the core members of the New York Knicks?