New York Knicks: Where Does Damyean Dotson Fit in the New Lineup?

After numerous free agency decisions made by the New York Knicks front office, head coach David Fizdale’s rotation is going to look very different in 2019-20. Is there going to be a spot in that rotation for sharpshooter Damyean Dotson?

After being selected with the 44th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Damyean Dotson went on to have a solid rookie season with the New York Knicks where he split his time between the G League and NBA. Coming off the bench, Dotson put up averages of 4.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in just over 10 minutes per game in the first season of his professional career.

He improved in his next year with the team upping his averages to the tune of 27.5 minutes,10.7 points, and 3.6 boards. Even so, it’s worth considering whether he has shown David Fizdale enough to get consistent minutes in 2019-20.

The Case For Dotson to Remain in the Rotation

Dotson ramped up his production heading into his second year, showing an improved three-point shot. He earned the starting shooting guard job for the final two and a half months of the season.

His continued improvement should give him the edge over free-agent additions such as Wayne Ellington and Reggie Bullock, who have mostly remained stagnant over the years, in terms of their production. At just 25-years-old, the former University of Houston standout is likely entering his athletic prime which should signal further increases in production.

A common misconception is that Dotson has nothing more to offer other than being a catch-and-shoot role player. He affects the game in numerous other ways such as his on-ball defense and rebounding, which shows up in advanced statistics. The Knicks’ best 2-man and 3-man combinations in 2019 both featured the young guard, with the grouping of Dotson and fellow 2017 draft pick Frank Ntilikina outscoring opponents by 20 points in the 476 minutes they shared on the court.

The Case For Dotson to Stay on the Bench

Dotson’s increase in production can be due to a minutes increase, as he was on the court for almost two-and-a-half times the minutes per game over his rookie year. While his three-point percentage went up, his field goal percentage went down to 41.5% compared to 44.7% in season one.

The 6-6 guard has been a solid defender, but he can also lose track of his man, sometimes getting caught ball-watching on a few possessions each game. While Reggie Bullock and Wayne Ellington aren’t lockdown defenders by any means, they give constant production on both ends of the court.

The sophomore guard was also an extremely streaky shooter, as he had 2 months in which he shot over 40% from downtown and 2 other months in which he shot below 33% from behind the arc. Now entering his 3rd season in the NBA, his consistency will need to improve if he wants to remain in the rotation.

Verdict

Damyean Dotson should continue to receive consistent minutes each night. While a starting job seems out of the question, due to new teammate R.J. Barrett, Fizdale should continue to let Dotson grow into his own as a 3-and-D specialist. His value to the team is even greater due to his knowledge of Fizdale’s system and successfully implemented it into his game.

Most of his breakout performances came in wins for the New York Knicks, which is encouraging as it proves that he wasn’t putting up empty stats on a bad team. During a 2018-19 New York Knicks season to forget, Damyean Dotson is a player worth remembering.

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