New York Knicks: 3 reasons the Knicks need to start Damyean Dotson
By Sam Friedman
He’s been the third best player
Who has been the best player on the Knicks outside of Enes Kanter and Hardaway Jr.?
Above all else, Dotson has been incredible so far. It’s easy to say that he hustles hard, and does all the little things, but plenty of players can suit up and do the little things.
Dotson’s Per 36 minutes stats are as follows: 18.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.4 apg, 2.0 bpg, 0.5 spg, and less than a 0.5 turnovers per game.
These are extremely good stats for someone who people pegged as a player to be cut.
His true shooting percentage has been .613%, very close to future Knick, Kevin Durant‘s lifetime number.
All the stats look great, but it is limited sample size. The best way to show his value is to show how he stacks up against his internal competition. In this instance its Mario Hezonja.
Hezonja has a usage percentage 10 points higher than Dotson, which is laughable. Despite being used almost half as much less than Hezonja, Dotson has performed at the exact same level.
Per 36, Hezonja averages one more point (19.1), on, wait for it… SIX MORE SHOTS. Hezonja air balled a shot against the Bucks that missed 4 feet over a 8 inches right. Things that high schoolers can do, with ease, Hezonja struggles with.
Having Hezonja in over Dotson is a mistake. Plain and simple.
Next. How the Yanks can get better in 2019. dark
Dotson has earned to start. Earning is the epitome of what Fizdale is trying to do.